Alwaght- Every day of war on Lebanon the Israelis unveil a new aspect of their crimes. In their latest criminal action, the Israeli forces have attacked the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. In this connection, the United Nations has announced that two peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon were injured after an Israeli tank fired at an observation tower at their base in southern Lebanon. According to the UNIFIL, this observation post in the main headquarters of these forces in Naqourah was directly targeted, suffering injuries among the peacekeepers. Also, Israeli forces have targeted another headquarters of the mission's peacekeepers. Al-Mayadeen news network says that Israeli soldiers fired machine guns at the headquarters of the UN forces in the border village of Labuneh.
Who are UNIFIL?
About 10,000 peacekeepers: The number of UN forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
About 800 civilians: The number of civilians in the UN mission in Lebanon
50 countries: Participating countries in the UNsl's Lebanon mission
UNIFIL's operational area: In the south of Lebanon between the "Blue Line" (the unofficial border that separates Lebanon from Israel and the occupied Golan Heights) and the Litani River
About 30 kilometers from the border: The distance of the peacekeeping forces to the border
1060 kilometers: The area under the UNIFIL mission
UNIFIL command center: Naqourah city
50 different positions: The number of bases of UN forces on the Lebanese border
1978: The start of the UNIFIL mission by the UN Security Council after the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon and the occupation of this area
UNIFIL's main tasks: Supervising the withdrawal of Israel, restoring international peace and security, and helping the Lebanese government to restore control over the region
Expanding UNIFIL's mandate: After the one-month war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah in 2006, the UN Security Council expanded UNIFIL's mandate by passing Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL's new responsibilities after the 2006 war: Monitoring the cessation of hostilities and supporting the Lebanese armed forces in establishing a zone free of any armed personnel, equipment and weapons belonging to non-state armed groups.
Why have the Israelis attacked the UNIFIL?
Attacking UN peacekeepers, like many other Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza, is illegal and a clear violation of international law. Andrea Tenneti, the spokesperson to the UNIFIL, has stressed that the targeting of UN peacekeepers is a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Still, the Israelis seem to have specific aims behind attacking the UN forces:
Creating terror: Both in Gaza and Lebanon wars, the Israelis have tried to force the civilians to displacement through creating terror. Actually, terrorizing the civilians is part of the Israeli war policy and they have terrorized the children, women, relief workers, journalists, and medical staff and others in Gaza. In Lebanon, the Israeli regime is trying to show that it does not recognize any legal boundaries in war by targeting UN peacekeeping forces, and for its own purposes, it is even ready to bomb neutral UN forces. However, the creation of terror in Gaza could not drive the people of this strip from their homes, and now many residents of northern Gaza are returning to the ruins of their homes. Undoubtedly, this method of war will also be ineffective in Lebanon, too, and the Israelis will not be able to drive the residents out of the bombed areas.
Defying the UN: The Israeli regime has a serious grudge against the UN, accusing it of supporting the Palestinians. This Israeli accusation comes while the UN has so far failed to stop Tel Aviv's barbarous crimes against Gaza. Still, by attacking the UNIFIL the Israelis seek to show that the UN mission is unworthy to them and they are not even worried about consequences of their bombardment of the UN forces. In other words, Israel seems resting assured that this criminal actions bear no costs to Tel Aviv and the Israelis know that with the support to them from the US and other Western countries, they have a leeway to commit any crimes in Gaza and Lebanon.
