Austrian peacekeepers injured in escalating Lebanon attacks
Eight Austrian UN peacekeeping soldiers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured in a rocket attack on the town of An-Nakura in the south of the country. This is yet another instance where Israeli forces have attacked a peacekeeping observation point.
29 October 2024 21:03
The rocket struck the An-Nakura camp near the Israeli border. Tel Aviv has intensified attacks on Hezbollah strongholds since last month and has deployed ground forces into Lebanon.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg stated that the injured soldiers did not require urgent medical attention. He also condemned all attacks on UN forces and emphasised that "they cannot be tolerated."
It is not yet known who is responsible for the attack on An-Nakura.
"All sides are urged to immediately ensure the safety of all UN peacekeeping forces. It cannot and will not be tolerated for UN peacekeeping forces to be deliberately or inadvertently put in danger," appealed the head of Austrian diplomacy.
Attacks on UN observation points: the situation is "extremely dangerous"
UN peacekeeping forces reported last Friday that Israeli soldiers fired upon one of their observation points in southern Lebanon. They added that the security situation is "extremely difficult" due to other unidentified attacks.
UNIFIL, initially established in 1978, consists of roughly 10,000 peacekeeping soldiers from 50 countries. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon is active in the south of the country, monitoring the border region and supporting stabilisation efforts.
