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Spain Says Israeli Tank Fired Near Its UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon

Israel says the patrol was mistakenly classified as suspicious, prompting an investigation.

Overview

  • UNIFIL reported a 6 a.m. Sunday incident in which an Israeli Merkava tank inside Lebanese territory fired heavy machine-gun rounds near a UN foot patrol, landing about five meters from the peacekeepers.
  • The Spanish soldiers took cover and exited the area roughly 30 minutes later without injuries after the tank pulled back.
  • The United Nations condemned the episode as a serious violation of Security Council resolution 1701 and urged Israeli forces to halt aggressive actions near peacekeepers.
  • Spain lodged a formal complaint, and Defense Minister Margarita Robles publicly denounced the attack involving Spanish members of the mission.
  • The incident unfolded as border tensions persisted, with Israel saying it killed a school director in Mansuri it described as a Hezbollah operative and the Lebanese army alleging ongoing ceasefire breaches and Israeli posts inside Lebanon.