Washington Condemns in ‘Strongest Terms’ Attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon

Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)
Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Washington Condemns in ‘Strongest Terms’ Attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon

Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)
Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)

The United States condemned in the strongest terms the violent attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers on Wednesday that left one Irish service member dead and three wounded.

It called upon the Lebanese government to urgently investigate the attack, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent such incidents from reoccurring.

The Department of State said in a statement that violence against peacekeepers is “unconscionable,” puts Lebanese civilians at risk, and jeopardizes stability in southern Lebanon.

Washington sent its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died and hoped for the speedy recovery of those woundedd.

The attack was considered “multidimensional” message, given the UNIFIL’s recently extended mandate, the internal crisis in Iran due to the ongoing popular protests that threaten its regime and the presidential elections in Lebanon that are associated with the economic and living crises.

The attack was considered a “bloody message” to the UN forces, in objection to changing the rules of its cooperation with the Lebanese army in September. .

The UNIFIL’s patrols no longer need to coordinate with the army or accompany its elements, which concerned the Lebanese Hezbollah, which insists on this continued cooperation so that the UNIFIL does not become an “occupation force,” as stated by its leaders.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Tony Badran, a senior researcher at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, said this insistence proves the depth of the “dependency-based” relation between the army and Hezbollah.

He affirmed that Biden administration considers the commander of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun, the best presidential candidate, and so does France, which is in truce with Tehran.

Iran gained new interests and investments following the signing of the demarcation agreement and Total’s taking over the leadership of a gas exploration consortium.

According to Badran, Hezbollah and Joseph Aoun are not enemies and share a long-term relationship of cooperation, sponsored by the US through the aid policy it adopts.



At Least 46 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Fire, Gaza Hospitals Say, as the War Drags on 

Displaced Palestinians gather to receive aid from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called "Netzarim corridor" in the central Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians gather to receive aid from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called "Netzarim corridor" in the central Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. (AFP)
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At Least 46 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Fire, Gaza Hospitals Say, as the War Drags on 

Displaced Palestinians gather to receive aid from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called "Netzarim corridor" in the central Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians gather to receive aid from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called "Netzarim corridor" in the central Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli strikes and gunfire in the Gaza Strip killed at least 46 Palestinians overnight into Wednesday morning, most of them among crowds seeking food, local hospitals said.

The dead include more than 30 people who were killed while seeking humanitarian aid, according to that treated dozens of wounded people.

The Israeli military didn't immediately comment on any of the strikes, but says it only targets fighters and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, because the group's gunmen operate in densely populated areas.

The deaths came as the United Kingdom announced that it would recognize a Palestinian state in September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, following a similar declaration by France's president. Israel’s foreign ministry said that it rejected the British statement.

The Shifa hospital in Gaza City said that it received 12 people who were killed Tuesday night when Israeli forces opened fire towards crowds awaiting aid trucks coming from the Zikim crossing in northwestern Gaza.

Thirteen others were killed in strikes in the Jabaliya refugee camp, and the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, the hospital said.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, the Nasser hospital said it received the bodies of 16 people who it says were killed Tuesday evening while waiting for aid trucks close to the newly-built Morag corridor, which separates Khan Younis from the southernmost city of Rafah.

The hospital received another body for a man killed in a strike on a tent in Khan Younis, it said.

The Awda hospital in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp said that it received the bodies of four Palestinians who it says were killed Wednesday by Israeli fire close to an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, in the Netzarim corridor area, south of the Wadi Gaza.

In addition, seven Palestinians, including a child, have died of malnutrition-related causes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the territory’s health ministry said on Wednesday.

A total of 89 children have died of malnutrition since the war began in Gaza. The ministry said that 65 Palestinian adults have also died of malnutrition-related causes across Gaza since late June, when it started counting deaths among adults.

Hamas started the war with an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, though Israel believes that more than half the remaining hostages are dead. Most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between fighters and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.