Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Biden joins call to stop attack on UN peacekeepers

US President Joe Biden has joined world leaders in firmly calling on Israel to halt its attacks on UN peacekeepers as it continues its campaign in Lebanon in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, following two incidents within 48 hours. Biden said he is “absolutely, positively” urging Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers, BBC reported.

This came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged that their troops were responsible for an incident that injured two Sri Lankan soldiers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil). The IDF probed the incident and said that its soldiers fired upon identifying a threat near the Unifil base in Naqoura, and they are conducting an investigation “at the highest levels”.

Earlier, on Thursday, two Indonesian soldiers serving as Unifil troops were injured when they fell from an observation tower, which was struck by fire from an Israeli tank.

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Biden’s call for stopping attacks on UN peacekeepers also followed appeals made by leaders from France, Italy, and Spain, who issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s actions as unjustifiable, demanding an immediate end to the attacks.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry expressed strong condemnation of the IDF’s actions, which resulted in injuries to its soldiers.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of UN peacekeeping, also indicated that there was evidence suggesting some gunfire targeted UN positions directly, although he did not assign responsibility for the incidents.

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As hostilities continue between the IDF and Hezbollah, the IDF reported detecting around 100 rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel within a short time frame on Friday.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that three people, including a two-year-old girl, were killed during an Israeli raid in the city of Sidon, while two Lebanese soldiers died when Israeli forces struck an army post in Kafra.

In Beirut, emergency workers are still searching through the wreckage of buildings damaged by two Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, which Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated killed 22 civilians and injured 117, with no comments yet from Israel.

Since launching a ground invasion into southern Lebanon last month in response to rocket fire from Hezbollah, the IDF and Hezbollah have engaged in nearly daily exchanges of fire.

The IDF clarified that the UN post struck in Naqoura was approximately 164 feet from the identified threat, and that they had instructed peacekeeping troops to remain in protected areas at the time.

Unifil reported that Israeli military vehicles had also knocked over barriers at another UN site in Labbouneh, a situation it described as a “serious development”. Mikati condemned the latest attack as “a crime directed at the international community”.

Approximately 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are stationed in Lebanon to help maintain stability in the region, with Israel asserting that Unifil has failed to achieve this goal.

On the other hand, the Israeli ambassador to the UN has reiterated calls for Unifil personnel to withdraw northward by 5 kilometres to avoid danger. UN officials, however, said the forces would remain in their positions.

The situation in Lebanon remains critical with the IDF escalating its military campaign against Hezbollah. It has intensified airstrikes in southern Lebanon amid claims that it has killed key figures within the group.

Similarly, the situation in Gaza is drawing global attention, with the US repeatedly urging Israel to let humanitarian aid workers enter and work freely. Meanwhile, reports indicate at least 30 people have been killed in Gaza in Israeli strikes in Jabalia.