Israeli tanks target area near Spanish peacekeepers in Lebanon – UN

Israeli tanks have targeted an area with Spanish UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, the mission has said, warning that such attacks are becoming “disturbingly common.”

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two Merkava tanks were observed on Monday moving from an Israeli army position inside Lebanese territory further into Lebanon. Peacekeepers requested that the tanks halt their activity, but one of them later fired three shells, two of which landed “approximately 150 meters away from the peacekeeping force.”

The IDF has rejected UNIFIL’s report, according to the Times of Israel, insisting its forces were striking Hezbollah “terror infrastructure” and not endangering peacekeepers. The military said that minutes after the strike, UNIFIL asked that fire be halted, claiming the attack had taken place near its personnel. They argued that this was incorrect, as based on a preliminary investigation no UN troops were identified in the area at the time,

According to Spanish media outlet El Pais, this is not the first incident involving Spanish peacekeepers, who have frequently reported harassment by Israeli forces that “consider their presence unwelcome” because they witness operations in southern Lebanon. Spain’s contingent is reportedly one of the largest in UNIFIL, with more than 600 troops deployed on the mission.

The Israel-Lebanon border area has remained tense despite a US-brokered ceasefire that came into force in November 2024 to end more than a year of cross border hostilities triggered when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli territory in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Under the arrangement, the Lebanese army is to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and take control of areas held by the group in the south.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Sunday that Beirut’s campaign to dismantle armed groups will continue even as Israeli strikes persist.