Rocket Launched Near Peacekeeper Post in Lebanon on Sunday, UN Says

 Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol near the Lebanon-Israel border, at Marjeyoun area in southern Lebanon, 27 August 2024. (EPA)
Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol near the Lebanon-Israel border, at Marjeyoun area in southern Lebanon, 27 August 2024. (EPA)
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Rocket Launched Near Peacekeeper Post in Lebanon on Sunday, UN Says

 Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol near the Lebanon-Israel border, at Marjeyoun area in southern Lebanon, 27 August 2024. (EPA)
Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol near the Lebanon-Israel border, at Marjeyoun area in southern Lebanon, 27 August 2024. (EPA)

One of the rockets launched from Lebanon in the heavy exchange between armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli military on Sunday was fired from near a position operated by international peacekeepers, the United Nations force told Reuters on Tuesday.

The UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it had detected a "high number of air strikes and rocket launches in its area of operations" starting on Sunday morning.

"One such launch was detected from near one of our positions in Hanniyeh," UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said, referring to a town in southern Lebanon approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the border with Israel.

The spokesperson said another explosion occurred later in the day near a UNIFIL position in Mays al-Jabal, along the border, but said there was no damage and no casualties.

"We continually stress to everyone that using areas near our positions to launch attacks across the Blue Line or targeting that puts peacekeepers in danger is unacceptable and a violation of Resolution 1701," the spokesperson said.

The Blue Line is the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, where parts of the international border are disputed.

UN resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, tasks UNIFIL with ensuring that its area of operations "is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind".

A spokesperson for the Israeli military said on Monday that it had identified Hezbollah rocket launch sites approximately 150 meters (490 feet) away from a UN position in Hanniyeh, without specifically naming UNIFIL.

There was no immediate response from Hezbollah to a Reuters request for comment.

Hezbollah on Sunday fired rockets and drones at Israeli military sites in retaliation for the killing of a top commander by Israel last month, and Israeli jets targeted approximately 40 launch sites in Lebanon.

It was one of the most intense exchanges of fire between the armed foes in more than 10 months of hostilities playing out in parallel with the Gaza war.



Tunisia Court Allows Mekki to Resume Election Bid

FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's Abdellatif el-Mekki speaks at a news conference in Tunis, Tunisia March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's Abdellatif el-Mekki speaks at a news conference in Tunis, Tunisia March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
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Tunisia Court Allows Mekki to Resume Election Bid

FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's Abdellatif el-Mekki speaks at a news conference in Tunis, Tunisia March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's Abdellatif el-Mekki speaks at a news conference in Tunis, Tunisia March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo

A Tunisian court on Tuesday upheld an appeal by prominent opposition politician Abdellatif Mekki, allowing him to resume his bid for the presidency in an election expected on Oct. 6, judicial and political sources told Reuters.
The electoral commission had excluded Mekki from the race due to what it said was a lack of popular endorsements. A judicial official, Faycel Boguira, told Reuters that the court’s decision was final and could not be appealed.
Tunisia's administrative court will issue further rulings this week regarding other politicians who have filed appeals after the commission also rejected their candidacy papers. They include Mondher Zenaidi, Imed Daimi and Abir Moussi.
The court’s decision adds Mekki, head of the Action and Achievement Party, to a list of accepted candidates that also includes the incumbent, President Kais Saied, and politicians Ayachi Zammel and Zouhair Maghzaoui.
Mekki was a prominent official in the Islamist Ennahda party but left to found a rival party in 2022. However, he still enjoys widespread support among supporters of Ennahda, one of Tunisia's largest political parties.
"The court decision is fair and highlights the image of the administrative court, known for its integrity even in the darkest periods in Tunisia’s history," Ahmed Nafati, Mekki’s campaign manager, told Reuters.
Tunisian opposition parties, politicians and human rights groups have accused the authorities of using "arbitrary restrictions" and intimidation to help ensure the re-election of Saied.
They say the electoral commission is not neutral and is seeking to eliminate all serious competitors to pave the way for Saied's victory. The commission denies the accusations.