On October 5, 2024, armored UNIFIL vehicles left a base in Marjayoun, Lebanon to keep vigil at the volatile Lebanon-Israel boundary. [Carl Court/Getty Images]
Remarkably, the Israeli military has targeted the UN’s peacekeepers in Lebanon twice in just two days, the United Nations reports.
On Thursday, Israeli forces fired multiple rounds at a UNIFIL guard tower, wounding two peacekeepers. Again on Friday, another assault on a surveillance tower injured two additional personnel.
That a UN nation would shoot at peacekeeping forces is nearly unprecedented. What do these events signify for the ongoing Lebanese conflict?
What went down?
At dawn on Thursday, an Israeli Merkava tank blasted an observation point used by UNIFIL in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, which has been their base since 1978. As a result, two Indonesian peacekeepers were hit and tumbled from the structure.
The injuries aren’t severe, luckily, but they stay in the hospital, a statement from the UN read on Thursday.
The document also highlighted that on Wednesday, Israeli troops had purposefully targeted and destroyed monitoring equipment at UNIFIL’s base.
On Friday, another UNIFIL announcement explained that two peacekeepers got hurt after explosions shook a nearby watchtower. One was sent to get treatment in the city of Tyre, while the other received care in Naqoura.
Countries like Indonesia, Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, Turkey, the EU, and Canada condemned Israel’s actions.
Understanding UNIFIL
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was birthed by the Security Council in March 1978 to mitigate tensions following Israel’s initial foray into Lebanon, termed the South Lebanon Conflict.
Back in 1978, after members of the Palestine Liberation Organization infiltrated Israel from Lebanon by the sea, Israel stationed soldiers at the Lebanese border.
UNIFIL was tasked with guiding Israeli withdrawal and reinstalling peace and security in the region.
After the 34-day conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, leaving 1,100 Lebanese citizens dead, UNIFIL’s mission expanded to oversee hostilities and assist the Lebanese military across southern Lebanon.
As of September 2, 10,058 troops from UNIFIL stand watch in Lebanon, representing 50 countries. Indonesia leads with 1,231 peacekeepers. Notably, Italy, India, Nepal, and China lend significant numbers to this mission.
How often are UN peacekeepers attacked?
From 1948 till August 2024’s end, 4,398 global UN peacekeepers have been lost. Their deaths comprise 1,629 from illness, 1,406 from mishaps, 1,130 from hostilities, and 233 from varied causes, according to the UN’s tally.
Among peacekeeping missions, UNIFIL bears the highest casualties, marking 337 deaths over its 46-year run. The Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali follows closely with a death toll of 311.
The year 1993 witnessed the deadliest toll, with 252 lost lives spread across Somalia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Cambodia, and elsewhere.
In 2010, 173 peacekeepers perished, including three with the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur during unknown altercations.
On January 12 of the same year, Haiti’s earthquake claimed 43 of the UN Stabilization Mission (MINUSTAH) lives. Later, 10 others fell victim to violence, disclosed by the UN site.
In 2017, the UN disclosed an attack on peacekeepers in Congo. It was believed to be the militia Allied Democratic Forces’ doing, resulting in 14 Tanzanian deaths and 44 injuries.
The legal angle on targeting peacekeepers
Targeting UN missions intentionally constitutes a war crime, experts assert.
“In combat laws, UN personnel in peacekeeping, armed or not, hold civilian status. Targeting them or facilities deliberately contravenes the law, qualifying as war crimes,” Human Rights Watch notes.
This claim supports Article 8(2)(b)(iii) of the Rome Statute, birthing the International Criminal Court. This article categorizes targeting peacekeeping efforts as war crimes.
The UN’s dispatch regarding Thursday’s assault called it not only a breach of global law but a stark contravention of Security Council Resolution 1701. In the wake of Friday’s attack on UNIFIL, UN remarks emphasized, “This is seriously troubling, and UNIFIL stresses that UN staff and property safety must be secured and its sanctity upheld continuously.
“Any intentional assault on peacekeepers severely breaches both international humanitarian regulations and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).”
Has Israel struck UN peacekeepers before?
Military expert Elijah Magnier explained to Al Jazeera the recent hostilities are not isolated incidents for UNIFIL under Israeli fire.
In 1987, Israeli tanks fired at a village harboring a UNIFIL post, resulting in the death of an Irish peacekeeper.
In 1996, Israel bombarded UNIFIL’s Fijian ranks in Qana, southern Lebanon, claiming over 120 Lebanese civilian lives and injuring around 500. Four UN troops were wounded.
In late November 2023, Israeli forces targeted a UNIFIL patrol near Aitaroun, southern Lebanon, though peacekeepers were unscathed.
Magnier suggested the assaults arise “from Israel necessitating passage through UNIFIL sites in Naqoura to commence a Lebanese invasion. This path is strategic for the Israeli armed forces,” adding an “enormous” Israeli troop contingent is ready to enter Lebanon.
UNIFIL units are starkly identifiable by blue helmets, with their locations well-documented to Israeli forces.
How rare is a UN member’s strike on peacekeepers?
It’s rare for UN member nations to attack peacekeepers outright.
Most peacekeeper injuries and fatalities stem from crossfire involving militants or rebels, the UN notes post such engagements.
In 1994, ten Belgian soldiers of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda were killed by the Rwandan army, a UN member, as HRW communicates.
Source: Al Jazeera
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
