UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Lebanon Has Recorded over 30 Incidents Resulting in Damage

A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
TT

UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Lebanon Has Recorded over 30 Incidents Resulting in Damage

A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon says it has recorded over 30 incidents resulting in damage to UN property or premises or injuring peacekeepers
Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the mission known as UNIFIL, told a video press conference from Beirut Wednesday that it attributed about 20 of the incidents to Israeli military fire or actions, “with seven being clearly deliberate.”
In an incident Tuesday, he said, a rocket likely fired by Hezbollah or an affiliated group hit UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqura, setting a workshop on fire, with some peacekeepers suffering minor injuries, according to The Associated Press.
The origin of the fire couldn’t be determined for about a dozen incidents, he said.
“What has been very concerning are incidents where peacekeepers performing their monitoring tasks, as well as our cameras, lighting and entire watch towners, have been deliberately targeted,” Tenenti said.
He stressed that the actions of both Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters are putting peacekeepers in danger, whether through deliberate acts or crossfire.
“Despite a very tense situation, UNIFIL continues to stay in contact with Lebanese and Israeli authorities urging de-escalation,” he said.
Even with the dramatic surge in exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in the past few weeks, Tenenti said UNIFIL has also been working hard behind the scenes to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid by UN agencies and their local partners.



Israeli Attack Targets Syria’s Homs Countryside, Syrian State Media Says

A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Israeli Attack Targets Syria’s Homs Countryside, Syrian State Media Says

A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli attack targeted the area of Qusayr in the southern countryside of Homs province in central Syria, Syria's state media said on Wednesday.

Israel says it has been carrying out strikes to reduce the transfer of weapons from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which it said had spread to the town of Al-Qusayr, near the Syrian-Lebanese border.

Syrian media said that air defenses intercepted "hostile" targets over the Homs countryside.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by armed group Hamas on Israel.