HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Monday denounced the recent Israeli attacks targeting a patrol of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"I can tell you that we are very concerned about the incident that occurred on Sunday in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol and subsequently an Israeli tank fired a shot at the peacekeepers in Kafr Kila in the UNIFIL area of operations," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

Confirming that there were no injuries, Dujarric also reported that "no damage was caused to our peacekeepers and assets."

"This incident came after an earlier one in the same location, where an Israeli drone flew over a UNIFIL patrol in an aggressive manner," he said, adding that "the UNIFIL peacekeepers employed defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone."

He emphasized that "any actions that may endanger the safety and security of the peacekeepers are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately."

UNIFIL reported on Sunday that an Israeli drone and tank fire targeted a patrol near Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon.

The peacekeeping mission also said that an Israeli drone flew over a UNIFIL patrol in the same area, prompting peacekeepers to take defensive measures to neutralize it.

UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978 and was significantly reinforced under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Israel has repeatedly launched airstrikes in Lebanon on claims of targeting Hezbollah infrastructure despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in November 2024.

Under the terms of the truce, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025. But it has only partially pulled out troops and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.