Rhino: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Friday that its soldiers withdrew from an observation post in the southern Lebanese town of Dheira on Tuesday after Israeli forces opened fire on the post.
The force said that when Israeli soldiers who were clearing nearby houses realized they were under observation, they opened fire on the post, prompting the soldiers on guard duty to withdraw to avoid being hit.
It added that the Israeli army has been asking UNIFIL forces to evacuate their positions along the Blue Line and has deliberately damaged cameras, lighting and communications equipment at some of these positions.
The UN mission is stationed in south Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the Blue Line with Israel, an area where Israeli forces and fighters from the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah have clashed violently this month.
The UN says five peacekeepers have been injured since Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon began on October 1. UNIFIL positions have been damaged at least 20 times, including by direct fire and on Oct. 13 when two Israeli tanks drove through the gates of a UNIFIL base.