IOF endanger UNIFIL in provocative attack on Lebanon soil
3 Min Read
A Merkava tank opened fire on UN peacekeepers inside Lebanese territory, in what UNIFIL condemned as a serious violation of international law by "Israel".
-
UNIFIL personnel clearing roads and removing unexploded ordnance due to Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings in Lebanon (@UNIFIL_ / X)
The Israeli occupation forces opened fire on UNIFIL peacekeepers on Monday morning, using a Merkava tank positioned inside Lebanese territory, according to the mission.
Heavy machine-gun rounds landed roughly five meters from the peacekeepers, who were patrolling on foot and were forced to seek cover, as per the UNIFIL.
This morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired on UNIFIL peacekeepers from a Merkava tank from near a position Israel has established in Lebanese territory.
— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) November 16, 2025
UNIFIL said its teams immediately relayed requests through liaison channels for the Israeli military to halt the shooting. The peacekeepers were able to leave the area about 30 minutes later, after the Merkava withdrew back into the Israeli position. No injuries were reported.
UNIFIL described the incident as “a serious violation of Security Council resolution 1701.”
“Yet again, we call on the IDF to cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers, who are working to support the return to the stability that both Israel and Lebanon say they seek,” the mission said.
Resolution 1701 was reached in the wake of the 2006 Israeli aggression on Lebanon. It calls for the full cessation of hostilities and the deployment of the Lebanese Army to Southern Lebanon, as well as the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River.
Pattern of aggression
UNIFIL has repeatedly documented Israeli aggression and intimidation tactics against its forces in southern Lebanon.
In October, UNIFIL condemned two grenade attacks by the Israeli occupation on its peacekeepers, calling them a serious violation of international agreements and a direct threat to UN personnel operating under a Security Council mandate.
In May 2025, UNIFIL reported that Israeli gunfire struck one of its positions near Kfar Chouba, marking the first direct hit on a UN facility since the November 2024 cessation of hostilities. The same month, peacekeepers recorded incidents of Israeli drones shadowing patrols and laser beams directed from IOF tanks at UN vehicles operating near the border.
A few months earlier, in October 2024, UN and media reports confirmed that Israeli artillery fire hit a UNIFIL base in Naqoura, wounding at least two peacekeepers and damaging observation posts. France, Italy, and Spain, three major troop contributors to the mission, issued a joint statement condemning the strikes as a "serious violation" of international law and UNSC Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL records also show earlier patterns of aggression, including a 2017 series of incidents in which Israeli occupation forces blocked UN patrol routes and engaged in physical threats and harassment of peacekeepers attempting to monitor Israeli aggression along the Blue Line.
The latest aggressions come amid a wave of Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
