Hezbollah launched a rocket at Israel on Sunday near a UNIFIL site. The UN peacekeeping force observed rocket launches near one of its positions in Haniniah, and an explosion occurred later that day near a UNIFIL site in Meiss al-Jabal.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Tuesday that one of the rockets fired from Lebanon during the intense clash between Hezbollah and the Israeli army on Sunday was launched from a location close to a site operated by the international peacekeeping forces.
The force stated in a comment to Reuters that it observed “a large number of airstrikes and rocket launches within its area of operations” starting on Sunday morning.
UNIFIL spokesperson Candice Ardell said, “We observed rocket launches near one of our sites in Haniniah,” referring to a town in southern Lebanon, about ten kilometers north of the Israeli border. She added that an explosion occurred later that day near a UNIFIL site in the border town of Meiss al-Jabal, without causing any damage or injuries.
Ardell emphasized, “We consistently remind all parties that using areas close to our sites to launch attacks across the Blue Line, endangering peacekeepers, is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of Resolution 1701.”
The Blue Line refers to the border demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, mandated UNIFIL to ensure that its area of operations is not used for any hostile activities.
An Israeli army spokesperson stated on Monday that the army had identified Hezbollah rocket launch sites about 150 meters from a UN site in Haniniah. Hezbollah has not yet commented on these statements.
Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israeli military positions on Sunday in response to the assassination of senior military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike last month. Israeli aircraft targeted approximately 40 launch sites in Lebanon.
This was one of the fiercest exchanges of fire between the two sides during more than ten months of fighting, which erupted in parallel with the war in Gaza.
by/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚