UNIFIL: Israel ‘Intentionally’ Struck UN Tower in Lebanon

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has reported that the Israeli military “deliberately” caused damage to one of their outposts in southern Lebanon, as part of the ongoing incidents involving the deployed force.

According to a statement from UNIFIL, an Israeli “army bulldozer intentionally destroyed an observation tower and the perimeter fence of a UN position in” southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL emphasized that its personnel remain in all positions “despite the ongoing pressure being applied”.

The Irish Defence Forces previously announced that “UNP 6-52 and UNP 6-50 were successfully resupplied” following Operation Fág an Bealach.

In a statement, the Defence Forces noted that Force Commander Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz visited the Blue Line positions as well.

“Maintaining the Blue Line Posts will facilitate the ongoing occupation and operation from these locations,” the statement said.

“Irish peacekeepers continue to monitor and report any violations of UNSCR 1701 by all involved parties while upholding an independent and impartial position,” it added.

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In related developments, Israel stated that it has targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, ramping up its bombings in southern Beirut.

Israeli forces reported that their air strikes hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut along with an underground weapons manufacturing workshop.

The Israeli military announced that fighter jets eliminated three Hezbollah commanders, including Alhaj Abbas Salameh, a key figure in the group’s southern command.

Witnesses from Reuters observed smoke rising from the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area once densely populated that included Hezbollah offices and underground facilities.

Lebanese state media reported that ‘warplanes struck … the city of Nabatiyeh seven times.’

Israeli forces launched strikes on numerous villages and towns in southern Lebanon overnight, targeting Nabatiyeh city for the third time this week, according to Lebanese state media.

“Warplanes attacked … the city of Nabatiyeh seven times,” including a strike on an inhabited building, with rescuers still searching for survivors among the debris, reported the official National News Agency.

It also mentioned that Israeli aircraft “conducted strikes” on over 50 towns and villages, including the border towns of Kfarshuba, Bint Jbeil, and Khiam, which have witnessed intense fighting and reported casualties.

The NNA stated, “Israeli troops detonated the Tarrash neighborhood in Mais al-Jabal,” a border village where clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers occurred, “after rigging it with explosives.”

Additionally, the troops “bulldozed the cemetery in the nearby village of Blida,” the NNA reported.

The Lebanese military confirmed that three of its soldiers were killed in an Israeli attack on an army vehicle in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has not provided an immediate response to the recent strikes.

The militant organization stated that it launched rocket barrages at Israeli forces in two villages within Lebanese territory, near the southern border.

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon landed in the outskirts of Rosh Pinna in the Upper Galilee.

Militants from the Iran-backed group unleashed “a rocket salvo” at Israeli “enemy forces” located near the village of Markaba, as well as at soldiers in close proximity to “west of the village of Adaisseh,” they reported.

Cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah intensified a year ago when the Iranian-backed group began firing rockets in support of Hamas.

At the beginning of October, Israel initiated a ground offensive inside Lebanon aimed at stabilizing the border region for its citizens who had to evacuate due to rocket attacks in northern Israel.

In the past year, more than 2,400 individuals have been killed, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, with over 1.2 million people displaced, primarily in recent weeks.

Israeli authorities have reported that 59 people have died in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights during the same timeframe.

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As the US elections draw near, officials, diplomats, and other sources in the region suggest that Israel is conducting military operations to secure its borders and prevent rival groups from regrouping.

Israel is also preparing to respond to an Iranian missile attack that occurred earlier this month; however, Washington has urged it not to target Iranian energy facilities or nuclear sites.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was the target of an assassination attempt by “Iran’s proxy Hezbollah” when a drone was directed at his vacation home yesterday.

In a conversation with former US President Donald Trump, the prime minister reiterated that Israel would make decisions based on its own interests, as stated by Mr. Netanyahu’s office.

Israel’s government has turned down several initiatives from the United States, its principal ally and military supporter, aimed at facilitating ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza reported that at least 87 people were either killed or missing under the debris following an Israeli strike on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.

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