UNIFIL: Israeli tank fires towards UN patrol inside Lebanese territory

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said its peacekeepers came under fire from the Israeli army while carrying out a patrol along the Blue Line.

The international force explained in a statement that soldiers of the Israeli army fired bursts of machine-gun rounds from a Merkava tank above and near the patrol.

UNIFIL added that its personnel immediately used the mission’s communication channels to call on the Israeli army to stop firing at once.

The force confirmed that both the patrol team and the Israeli tank were inside Lebanese territory at the time, and that no peacekeepers were injured.

It also noted that the Israeli army had been informed in advance of the patrol’s location and timing, in line with the usual procedures for operating in sensitive areas near the Blue Line.

READ: UN sounds alarm over repeated Israeli airstrikes near peacekeepers in Lebanon