Israeli Soldiers Attack UN Peacekeepers Who Were Observing Them

Israeli soldiers attacked UN peacekeepers at an observation post in south Lebanon who were observing the military’s nearby raids, the UN said Friday, as Israeli forces appear to be targeting people documenting their assault on the country.

In a statement, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that peacekeepers were at a permanent observation post near Dhayra on Tuesday, watching as Israeli forces conducted “house clearing operations” in the area.

“Upon realizing they were being observed, the IDF soldiers fired at the post. The duty guards withdrew to avoid being shot,” the group said.

UNIFIL noted that Israeli forces have repeatedly demanded that peacekeepers in south Lebanon leave their posts and have “deliberately damaged camera, lighting, and communications equipment” in UN positions. “Despite the pressure being exerted on the mission and our troop-contributing countries, peacekeepers remain in position and on task. We will continue to undertake our mandated tasks to monitor and report,” the group said.

The attack is the latest evidence that Israel is attempting to ensure that their actions go undocumented by outside observers, as some experts have noted, as Israeli forces barrage south Lebanon and Beirut, killing at least 1,900 people so far in the past month.

As part of their mission to report violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UN peacekeepers patrol and monitor for military operations by Israeli or Hezbollah forces in south Lebanon. In recent weeks, despite international law prohibiting attacks on the peacekeeping forces, Israeli forces have conducted at least two dozen attacks on UNIFIL, including an attack with white phosphorus that injured 15 of the UN peacekeepers.

The group noted on Friday that, just this month, peacekeepers have noted military “clashes” in at least 12 locations in south Lebanon.

“The exclusion of outside observers, whether it is journalists or UN peacekeepers, seems a deliberate strategy to limit the scrutiny of Israeli forces at a time when they are most needed,” Shane Darcy, professor at the National University of Galway and member of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera recently.

Further, on Friday, Israeli forces killed three journalists in south Lebanon, at around 4 am local time. Israel gave no warning for the attack, which witnesses say was intentional, as Israeli forces were aware that the compound it bombed houses journalists.

As Israel targets those reporting on their atrocities, Israeli forces have been carrying out horrific attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

On Friday, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said that Israel has attacked 55 hospitals in Lebanon amid its assault, causing eight hospitals to close so far. Israeli attacks on ambulances and first responders have killed at least 151 paramedics and injured 212, Abiad said. Further, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on Thursday that over 100 health centers, or a third of the country’s health facilities, have been forced to close due to Israel’s attacks.

“Attacks against the medical and paramedic sectors in Lebanon are direct and intentional aggressions,” Abiad said. “This is a war crime.”