As Israel pushes into southern Lebanon with the aim of eliminating Hezbollah fighters and destroying the group’s bases, its forces are increasingly coming into contact with members of a United Nations force that has been in place there for decades with a mandate to maintain peace and security along the volatile border.
On Thursday, two peacekeepers from the currently 10,000-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, were injured when an Israeli tank shell hit an observation tower near the "Blue Line” dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. The incident followed an Israeli warning for UNIFIL to relocate from areas Israel said were near Hezbollah positions used to launch rockets into northern Israel. UNIFIL refused to evacuate.
UNIFIL, in a statement on Thursday, said that its headquarters in Lebanon in the town of Naqoura and nearby peacekeeper positions “have been repeatedly hit” by Israeli tank fire. It said two peacekeepers were injured. And Friday, it said more explosions hit close to an observation tower, wounding two more personnel, but it didn’t blame Israel.
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/11/nx-s1-5150044/un-peacekeepers-lebanon-israel-united-nations