According to the UN peacekeeping force, shelling in Rmeish, southern Lebanon, has injured three UN observers as well as a translator.
The Israeli military refuted reports from Lebanon’s official news agency that the explosion was caused by an Israeli drone strike.
The UN mission, Unifil, stated that those injured were receiving medical attention and that it was looking into the cause of the explosion.
It follows escalating hostilities along the fictitious border between Israel and Lebanon.
According to a statement from Unifil, the group was on a foot patrol along the UN-drawn Blue Line, which separates southern Lebanon from Israel, when a shell burst close to them.
It called it “unacceptable” that peacekeepers would be targeted.
About the observers’ condition and nationality, no information has been provided. The People from Lebanon translator is reported to be stable.
The observers were injured during an Israeli “enemy drone” raid in southern Lebanon, according to the state-run National News Agency of Lebanon.
“Contrary to the claims, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] did not strike a Unifil truck in the vicinity of Rmeish this morning,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
There have been casualties on both sides as tensions along Israel’s and Lebanon’s unofficial border have increased recently.
Israel and Hezbollah, an armed group, have been exchanging cross-border strikes virtually every day since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Hezbollah is a violent Shia Muslim organization based in Lebanon that has strong ties to Iran and supports Hamas.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced an increase in attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, shifting from repelling to actively pursuing them.
The US has pressured Israel to support a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah, on Gaza’s border with Egypt, amid concerns about rising civilian deaths and humanitarian access.
The IDF admitted to killing two Palestinian men and burying their bodies in two incidents in Gaza.
(BBC)
