BREAKING: Israel Responds To India’s Statement, Says ‘Hezbollah Using UN Posts As Shields’

Following attacks on the UN peacekeeping headquarters in a southern Lebanese town, the Israeli envoy stated that Hezbollah is firing at Israel near UNIFIL outposts, "criminally using them as a shield." The envoy accused Hezbollah of employing these positions to conceal their activities and incite further conflict.

This statement follows India's expression of concern regarding the safety of UN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon, after two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured in attacks on their bunkers on Thursday.

India expressed significant concern regarding the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line following reports of Israeli artillery fire on a United Nations peacekeeper base in southern Lebanon. The incident reportedly resulted in injuries to personnel from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), prompting the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to release a statement emphasizing the need for the inviolability of UN premises.

“We are concerned at the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” the MEA stated. The ministry stressed that "the inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all" and called for appropriate measures to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and uphold the sanctity of their mandate.

This statement follows escalating international condemnation of Israeli actions targeting UN positions in Lebanon, particularly the main base of UNIFIL in Ras Naqura. Lebanon’s foreign ministry condemned what it described as an Israeli "targeting" of UNIFIL’s facilities, which reportedly left several peacekeepers injured. State media in Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery struck a UNIFIL watchtower and the command center’s main entrance, causing substantial damage. Additionally, an Israeli Merkava tank was said to have targeted another UN tower along the critical route between Tyre and Naqura.