Hezbollah rocket likely injured peacekeepers in Lebanon, UN confirms

A rocket believed to have been launched by Hezbollah terrorists struck the headquarters of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon, lightly injuring some peacekeepers, UNIFIL said.

“This afternoon a rocket hit UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, setting a vehicle workshop on fire. Peacekeepers were not in bunkers at the time. While some peacekeepers suffered minor injuries, fortunately, no one was seriously injured,” the peacekeeping force said in a statement.

The U.N. statement added, “The rocket was fired from north of UNIFIL’s headquarters, likely by Hezbollah or an affiliated group. We have opened an investigation into the incident.”

UNIFIL stressed in the message that Hezbollah terrorists and “all actors” are required to protect U.N. peacekeepers and their facilities, noting that “any deliberate attack on them is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of [Security Council] Resolution 1701.”

‘We were totally subject to Hezbollah’

Earlier on Tuesday, Austria’s Defense Ministry confirmed that eight of its troops sustained light injuries in the rocket attack on Camp Naqoura, located in Southern Lebanon near the border with Israel. Vienna contributes about 180 soldiers to the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force.

“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and demand that it be investigated immediately,” the ministry said in the statement, adding that none of its soldiers at Naqoura needed urgent medical care.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Tuesday night that “an examination determined that Hezbollah launched a rocket from the Hallousiyyeh El Faouqa area which hit the UNIFIL Headquarters.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organization continues to systematically violate international law, endangering both Israeli civilians and international organizations operating in the region,” added the Israeli military.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 stipulates that Hezbollah terrorists are not allowed to operate south of the Litani River, located some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

The U.N. resolution, which was passed after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah—and ratified by both Beirut and Jerusalem—also calls for the Iranian-backed terrorist organization to be disarmed.

A former U.N. soldier stationed in Southern Lebanon some 10 years ago told the Danish daily B.T. earlier this month that during his service there: “We were totally subject to Hezbollah.” The former soldier claimed no actions were taken against the violations of Resolution 1701.

The U.S. has called in recent months for the “effective implementation” of the resolution to resolve the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel, which started when the Lebanese terrorist group joined the battle against the Jewish state in support of Palestinian Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023.

“We think that it is vital, and it can help create the conditions that will ultimately allow civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return home,” Vedant Patel, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, said on Oct. 22.

European nations have repeatedly accused the Israel Defense Forces of attacking UNIFIL troops amid the fighting. These allegations have been rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who noted on Oct. 14 that Jerusalem “repeatedly asked UNIFIL to get out of harm’s way.”