The United Nations’ peacekeeping force in Lebanon says that Israeli soldiers rammed UN vehicles with a tank two times on Sunday.
In one case, the ramming caused “significant damage,” the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement on social media.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that it is looking into the allegation.
UNIFIL added that the Israeli military had damaged peacekeeper’s equipment and come close to harming peacekeepers in recent days.
“Over the past week, Israeli soldiers have fired ‘warning shots’ in the area, striking and damaging clearly identifiable UNIFIL vehicles,” the statement said. “In one case, a ‘warning shot’ landed a metre away from a peacekeeper who had dismounted his vehicle.”
The UN force alleged that “Israeli soldiers have continually blocked peacekeepers’ movements on this road in recent days, in addition to denials of freedom of movement recorded in other areas,” and had damaged security cameras at UNIFIL stations and “spray-painted the windows” of a UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura.
The IDF told CNN it is looking into the other allegations, as well.
The UN peacekeeping mission has operated in southern Lebanon for over 45 years, with personnel from 50 countries. Confrontations between UNIFIL troops, IDF soldiers and Hezbollah militants have occurred numerous times since Israel renewed its offensive against the Iran-backed group in Lebanon.
During Israel’s last invasion of Lebanon in 2024, Israeli officials often claimed that Hezbollah operated in areas close to UNIFIL positions. IDF troops also occasionally fired at UN personnel.