UNIFIL announced that its peacekeepers came under fire from an Israeli Merkava tank positioned inside Lebanese territory, with bullets striking the ground only a few meters from them. The peacekeepers were monitoring the truce established last November between Israel and Hezbollah. After the tank later pulled back, the UN personnel left without injuries. The mission labeled the incident a clear violation of UN Resolution 1701, which governs the ceasefire arrangements from the 2006 conflict and the more recent Gaza-related hostilities. Despite the truce, Israel maintains military positions in select areas of south Lebanon and continues regular air and artillery strikes, citing operations against Hezbollah. UNIFIL expressed renewed concern, saying this was another example of Israeli actions that risk the safety of peacekeepers, and called again for all forces to avoid threatening UN personnel.
