UN says Israeli tanks burst into peacekeeper base

The United Nations said Israeli tanks had burst into its base in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the latest accusation of Israeli violations against peacekeeping forces, as Hezbollah unleashed a deadly "swarm of drones" on an Israeli military camp.

Israel disputed the UN account and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the peacekeepers to withdraw, saying they were providing "human shields" for Iran-backed Hezbollah during an upsurge in hostilities.

The UNIFIL peacekeeping force said two Israeli Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate of a base and forcibly entered before dawn on Sunday. After the tanks left, shells exploded 100 metres (yards) away, releasing smoke which blew across the base and sickened UN personnel, it said in a statement.

A UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicle drives in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, in Lebanon. Reuters

The Israeli military said Hezbollah fighters had fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops, wounding 25 of them. The attack was very close to a UNIFIL post and a tank helping evacuate the casualties under fire then backed into the UNIFIL post, it said.

"It is not storming a base. It is not trying to enter a base. It was a tank under heavy fire, mass casualty event, backing up to get out of harm's way," the military's international spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told reporters.

In a statement, the military said it used a smokescreen to provide cover for the evacuation of the wounded soldiers but its actions posed no danger to the UN peacekeeping force.

Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: "The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones."

Israeli soldiers walk in Binyamina Israel on Sunday. Reuters

"The IDF has requested this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields."

Hezbollah denies it uses the proximity of peacekeepers for protection.

UNIFIL's peacekeepers "remain in all positions," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued later on Sunday, reiterating a warning from the Secretary-General that peacekeepers must not be targeted.

"Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. They may constitute a war crime," Dujarric said.

UNIFIL has said previous Israeli attacks on a watchtower, cameras, communications equipment and lighting had limited its monitoring abilities. UN sources say they fear any violations of international law in the conflict will be impossible to monitor.

Reuters