The UN soldiers repeatedly come under fire in the border area. The USA demands that the security of the peacekeeping force be guaranteed. Germans are also stationed at Unifil headquarters.
After repeated shelling of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on the Israeli military leadership to better protect the UN observer mission Unifil. In a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Joav Galant, Austin emphasized the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of UN troops and Lebanese forces, the Pentagon said. Austin also highlighted the need to pursue a diplomatic path to improve the protection of civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanese border.
Soldiers from the UN observation mission Unifil have been shot at several times in the past few days. Some of them named Israeli troops as the perpetrators, and some spoke of an unclear situation in the fighting between Israeli soldiers and the Shiite militia Hezbollah. Around 40 German soldiers are also stationed at the Unifil headquarters in Lebanon.
Austin also reiterated his call for Israel to take action to alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza. The Pentagon said he encouraged the Israeli government to take further steps to improve the appalling humanitarian situation. On Tuesday, the US government had already called on Israel to noticeably improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip within 30 days. Otherwise there is a risk of violating US laws on military support – which could also potentially jeopardize American military aid to Israel.
According to the United Nations, Israeli tanks fire at the observation tower
According to the United Nations, an Israeli tank fired on an observation tower of the UN peacekeeping mission Unifil in southern Lebanon. “This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kfar Kila observed an Israel Defense Forces Merkava tank firing at their guard tower,” Unifil said. Two cameras were destroyed and the tower was damaged. “Once again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a Unifil position,” the statement said. The UN observers called on the Israeli military “and other actors” to fulfill their obligations and ensure the safety of UN personnel and property. The inviolability of the United Nations and its property must be respected.
US military launches strikes on Houthi arms depots in Yemen
US forces say they attacked underground weapons depots belonging to the Houthi militia in Yemen. The five underground depots stored various weapons components that were used to attack civilian and military ships in the region, the Pentagon said. B-2 stealth bombers were also used in the air raids. Since the Gaza war broke out around a year ago, the Houthis have regularly fired rockets and drones at targets in Israel and ships in the Red Sea. The militia in Yemen, like Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, is supported by Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.
UN: Israel’s ‘devastating attack’ kills more civilians
According to the United Nations, Israeli attacks in Lebanon are having increasingly “serious impacts on civilian infrastructure and the civilian population.” Health facilities, mosques, historic markets, residential complexes and now government buildings were reduced to rubble, the UN emergency relief office Okha said in a statement. A “devastating attack” in Nabatija in southern Lebanon “claimed the lives of additional civilians.” The attack was carried out while a community crisis meeting was being held there. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 16 people were killed and 52 others were injured in the attack on a city administration building.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
