Lebanon: Israeli army destroyed 17 UN peacekeepers cameras

Israeli troops destroy 17 UN peacekeeper surveillance cameras in southern Lebanon

Israeli troops destroyed 17 surveillance cameras of the UN peacekeeping headquarters in southern Lebanon within 24 hours, a UN security source told AFP on Saturday.

Since the start of the war on March 2 between Israel and Hezbollah, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been caught between attacks by the pro-Iranian movement on Israeli positions, and Israel’s ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

“Seventeen cameras in our headquarters were destroyed by the Israeli army,” the security source in Naqoura, a coastal town in southern Lebanon, said on condition of anonymity. Blue helmets saw “Israeli soldiers carrying out the destruction of large parts” of Naqoura since the beginning of the week, the UNIFIL spokesperson warned on Thursday.

“Not only have homes and businesses been demolished, but the power of the explosions damaged the UNIFIL headquarters,” she added. UNIFIL reported three Indonesian peacekeepers killed in two separate incidents on Sunday and Monday, before an explosion on Friday at one of its bases – the origin of which has not been determined – that injured three peacekeepers.

Indonesia denounced the incident as “unacceptable,” highlighting “the urgent need to strengthen the protection of UN peacekeeping forces in an increasingly dangerous conflict environment.” UNIFIL also “reminded all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of blue helmets.”

According to the UN, 97 UNIFIL members have been killed in violence since its establishment in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after their invasion of Lebanon.