The UN Security Council raised serious concerns on Monday after multiple peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon were struck during clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
Israel broadened its military targets against Hezbollah, conducting airstrikes in the north that resulted in at least 21 deaths, according to health officials. Millions of Israelis took cover from retaliatory fire coming from Lebanon on Monday, reports The Business Standard.
Israel's military operations in Lebanon have primarily focused on the Bekaa Valley, the suburbs of Beirut, and southern regions, where tensions have increased between Israeli troops and UN peacekeepers.
The airstrike in the northern Christian-majority town of Aitou targeted a house rented by displaced families, as reported by the town's mayor, Joseph Trad. In addition to the fatalities, eight people were injured, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Rescue workers searched through the rubble at the site, where burned vehicles and debris were scattered. Israel ordered residents of 25 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, about 60 km (35 miles) from the Israeli border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting a military base where four soldiers were killed by a Hezbollah drone strike, stated that Israel would continue to target the Iran-backed group "without mercy" throughout Lebanon, including Beirut.
In central Israel, residents hurried to shelters as sirens went off. The military reported intercepting three projectiles from Lebanon, with no injuries reported. On the same day, about 115 projectiles fired by Hezbollah entered Israel.
The conflict with Hezbollah reignited 2023 when the group began launching rockets at Israel in support of Hamas during the Gaza war. It has escalated significantly in recent weeks, with Israel claiming its operations aim to help tens of thousands of displaced individuals return home. Additionally, Israeli military actions in northern Gaza have increased, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people waiting for food in Jabalia, according to Palestinian medics.
Israel at odds with UN peacekeepers
As Israel has pushed its forces through south Lebanon in an attempt to wipe out Hezbollah and its military infrastructure, tensions have increased between Israel and the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL.
The UN said Israeli tanks had burst into its base on Sunday.
Netanyahu on Monday rejected accusations that Israeli troops had deliberately harmed UNIFIL peacekeepers as "completely false" and repeated a call for them to withdraw from combat zones close to the border with Israel.
He said Hezbollah uses UNIFIL positions as cover for attacks that have killed Israelis, including on Sunday, when a drone attack on a military base killed four soldiers.
"Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah and will continue to do so," Netanyahu said in a statement.
He said he regretted any harm to UNIFIL personnel but added that the best way to ensure their safety was "to heed Israel's request and to temporarily get out of harm's way."
The force's spokesperson on Monday said in a video posted on X that the peacekeeping mission would stay.
"We are staying ... we are in south of Lebanon under a Security Council mandate. So it's important to keep an international presence and to keep the UN flag in the area," Andrea Tenenti said.
The Israeli military took foreign journalists into southern Lebanon on Sunday and showed them a Hezbollah tunnel shaft that was less than 200 metres away (650 feet) from a UNIFIL position, as well as weapon stashes.
Bd-pratidin English/Afia
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