Israel attacks UN peacekeepers in Lebanon: Why it’s such a big deal

According to the UN, Israel’s military fired twice in less than 48 hours on the Lebanon peacekeeping force.

Israeli forces repeatedly fired at a guard tower at the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday, injuring two members of the force, and&nbsp, again fired at a watchtower, injuring two more peacekeepers, on Friday.

How significant are these incidents in the ongoing conflict in Lebanon given that it is almost unheard of for a UN member state to criticize a peacekeeping force?

What happened?

Israeli forces opened fire on a Merkava tank on Thursday morning at a UNIFIL observation tower in Naqoura, a small border town in southern Lebanon where UNIFIL has its corporate headquarters since 1978.

Two Indonesian peacekeepers were hit directly, falling directly.

“The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital”, a UN statement issued on Thursday read.

The statement added that on Wednesday, Israeli soldiers had “deliberately fired at and disabled” the monitoring cameras at UNIFIL’s headquarters.

A second statement from UNIFIL on Friday claimed that two more peacekeepers had been hurt in two explosions that occurred close to an observation tower. One patient was being treated in Naqoura while the other was being treated in a hospital in the Lebanese city of Tyre.

Israel’s attacks were condemned by members of the international community, including Indonesia, Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, Turkey, the European Union and Canada.

What is UNIFIL?

UNIFIL is a Lebanon-based peacekeeping organization established in March 1978 following Israel’s initial invasion during the South Lebanon Conflict.

After Palestinian Liberation Organization members entered Israel from Lebanon by sea, Israel sent its troops along the border with Lebanon in 1978.

UNIFIL was established to oversee Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and ensure regional stability.

UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded to support Lebanese armed forces deployed throughout southern Lebanon following a 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in which 1, 100 Lebanese people were killed.

As of September 2, 10, 058 UNIFIL soldiers are deployed in Lebanon. They come from 50 countries.

The largest number of UNIFIL peacekeepers – 1, 231 – come from Indonesia. Italy, India, Nepal and China also contribute a large number of soldiers to the peacekeeping force.

How frequently are UN peacekeepers injured?

From 1948 to the end of August 2024, 4, 398 UN peacekeepers on missions all over the world have been killed.

Of these fatalities, 1, 629 were due to illness, 1, 406 were caused by accidents, 1, 130 by malicious acts and 233 were due to “other reasons”, according to data from the UN.

UNIFIL is the most dangerous of the peacekeeping missions, having suffered the most casualties. In its 46 years, 337 peacekeepers have been killed. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali follows, which has resulted in 311 fatalities.

The highest number of peacekeeper fatalities in one year took place in 1993 when 252 peacekeepers died during missions in Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia and other locations.

173 peacekeepers were killed in 2010, which was the second-highest number of fatalities. In exchange for altercations with unidentified attackers, they included three peacekeepers from the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur.

In the same year, 43 members of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) died on January 12 in an earthquake in Haiti. Ten other MINUSTAH personnel died in 2010 in “acts of violence”, the UN website reported.

The Allied Democratic Forces armed group was alleged to have carried out an attack on peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2017. In 2017, the UN reported that. 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed and 44 were hurt in that attack.

What is the legal position on targeting UN peacekeepers?

According to observers, the UN missions’ deliberate targeting constitutes a war crime.

“Under the laws of war, UN personnel involved in peacekeeping operations, including armed members, are civilians, and deliberate attacks against them and peacekeeping facilities are unlawful and amount to war crimes”, a report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) explained.

HRW cited Article 8 (2) (b) (iii) of the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court in The Hague. It defines intentional targeting of humanitarian and peacekeeping missions as war crimes.

According to the UN statement that covered Thursday’s attack, the deliberate attack was a violation of both UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and international law. The UN stated in response to Israel’s attack on Friday at the UNIFIL headquarters: “This is a serious development, and UNIFIL reiterates that the security and safety of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that UN premises’ inviolability must always be respected.

According to Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

Has Israel previously attacked UN peacekeepers?

Elijah Magnier, a military analyst, claimed that Israel had previously come under Israeli fire as a result of the recent incident.

In 1987, an Israeli tank squad opened fire on a village where a UNIFIL command post was located, killing an Irish peacekeeper.

In 1996, Israel shelled UNIFIL’s Fijian battalion in southern Lebanon’s Qana. More than 120 Lebanese civilians were killed and about 500 injured. Four UN soldiers were also injured.

No peacekeepers were hurt when Israeli forces opened fire on a UNIFIL patrol close to Aitaroun in southern Lebanon in late November 2023.

Because Israel must pass through Naqoura and launch the Lebanon invasion, Magnier claimed that the recent attacks were taking place. This axis is crucial for the Israeli army, “adding that a significant number of Israeli soldiers are ready to enter Lebanon.”

Because of their uniforms and well-known positions, UNIFIL troops can be identified clearly.

How rare is it for a UN member to attack peacekeepers?

It is very rare for UN members to attack peacekeepers.

According to UN releases following such incidents, the majority of peacekeepers’ injuries and deaths have been caused by crossfire between armed groups or rebel groups.

Source: Aljazeera