Israeli drones drop grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, UNIFIL says

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By Tala Ramadan

(Reuters) -The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Israeli drones dropped four grenades close to peacekeepers who were working to clear roadblocks hindering access to a U.N. position on Tuesday morning.

“This is one of the most serious attacks on UNIFIL personnel and assets since the cessation of hostilities agreement of last November,” the UNIFIL said in a statement on Wednesday.

One grenade impacted within 20 metres and three within approximately 100 metres of U.N. personnel and vehicles. 

UNIFIL said that the Israeli military had been informed in advance of UNIFIL’s road clearance work in the area, southeast of the village of Marwahin. 

Commenting on the incident, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X on Wednesday that troops stationed at an outpost in southern Lebanon had identified suspicious activity. They deployed several stun grenades in the vicinity “to disrupt and remove the potential threat.”

He said that after a review of the event, a clarification was sent through the military liaison channel, adding that no intentional fire was directed at UNIFIL personnel and that the security of civilians and Israeli forces “remains a top priority.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “stresses that any acts that endanger the lives of the peacekeepers are completely unacceptable,” his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Wednesday. “He demands that the parties uphold their responsibilities to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers and inviolability of U.N. installations.”

Last week, the United Nations Security Council unanimously extended the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon until the end of 2026, after which a year-long orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal will commence. 

Established in 1978, UNIFIL patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

(Reporting by Tala Ramadan and Alexander Cornwell; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Sonali Paul, Kim Coghill, William Maclean and Cynthia Osterman)