According to the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, three of its military observers and a local interpreter were wounded in a blast on Saturday while patrolling the country’s border with Israel. Citing security officials, Lebanese media reported that an Israeli drone struck the observers in the village of Wadi Katmoun near the town of Rmeich along the border.
The three observers, hailing from Chile, Australia, and Norway, respectively, as well as their Arabic interpreter, a Lebanese national, were all reportedly wounded but are in stable condition and relatively unharmed, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti announced. Tenenti, speaking to the media, said that the observer’s vehicle was clearly marked with UN insignia, and the warring parties had been informed of the patrol prior to the blast.
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Initially founded in 1978 but then expanded in 2006 after the last full-fledged war between Hizbullah and Israel, UNIFIL’s mandate centers on upholding the terms of the 2006 Security Council resolution that halted hostilities between the two parties. Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October of last year, violent cross-border clashes between the former and Hizbullah have escalated significantly, with both sides exchanging daily attacks and prompting concerns of a full-scale war.
The Israeli military denied its involvement in Saturday’s explosion in a post to social media platform X, stating: “Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a @UNIFIL —vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning.”