A new blue helmet was injured in Israel’s attack on Lebanon

The United Nations Mission in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Saturday that one of its soldiers had been wounded in gunfire at its headquarters in Nakoura in the south of the country, bringing the number of peacekeepers injured in the past three days to five. UNIFIL has assured that in this case it does not know the origin of the shots, although it has attributed the rest of the incidents to the Israeli military.

Israeli Defense Forces also bombed two Lebanese villages on this day, killing at least nine people and wounding another 28, while their attacks on Gaza killed another 19 people. In total, Israel claims to have struck 280 Hezbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanese territory and the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

UNIFIL said in a statement on developments in the surrounding area.

The mission has not yet specified the nationality of the injured soldier, although it said he “underwent surgery at our hospital in Nakoura to remove the bullet and is currently in stable condition.” UNIFIL buildings in the southern Lebanese town of Ramiyah also “suffered significant damage due to explosions from nearby shelling,” the statement said.

“We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety of UN personnel and facilities, including refraining from combat activities near UNIFIL positions,” said the mission, which has approximately 10,000 military personnel from several countries and is commanded by A Spanish general has taken over.

Biden asks Netanyahu not to attack UN headquarters in Lebanon

Israel’s strikes against the headquarters of the United Nations mission in Lebanon began hours after the first telephone conversation between United States President Joe Biden and his Israeli counterpart. It was the first conversation between the two since August and, as the White House reported, Biden asked Netanyahu not to attack UNIFIL headquarters.

Asked if he had asked Israel to respect the UN mission, Biden responded, “Absolutely.” However, attacks have occurred. The United States, together with France, had requested an immediate 21-day ceasefire two weeks earlier to try to prevent the risk of escalation in the region with Israeli incursions into Lebanon.

Like previous calls for a ceasefire, this one also failed and the threat now looms over the blue helmets in Lebanon. The peacekeeping mission is in the country in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel. The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas has thus far extended beyond the border between Israel and Lebanon, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to eliminate the Shia militia Hezbollah.

For three weeks, Israel has been waging a campaign of ground attacks and intense bombing against Lebanon’s south and east, as well as Beirut, leading to the deaths of most of the more than 2,200 people who have lost their lives in Lebanon. October 2023. The conflict worsened with an Israeli ground offensive into southern Lebanon on 1 October, as well as increased Israeli bombardment of the neighboring country.

This Saturday, Israel bombed the villages of Barja, south of Beirut, and Maysra, north of the Lebanese capital. According to the balance of victims provided by the country’s Ministry of Public Health, the initial number of deaths in the first attack was four people killed and fourteen injured, followed by a further five killed and fourteen injured in the second.

At least 19 people killed in multiple Israeli strikes in Gaza

Last night’s Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip killed at least 19 people in the Jabaliya area, where thousands are taking shelter, according to Gaza health officials. Reuters agency has reported that Israel has attacked the area from land and air, issuing new evacuation orders for Gazans.

Hamas, for its part, has asked the population not to move to the north of the Strip despite Israel’s requests and condemned that “occupation forces are bombing and killing in the same areas every day ensuring That they are safe.” ,