UN says Israeli tanks forced entry into one of its positions in south Lebanon

The UN peacekeeping unit successful confederate Lebanon says Israeli tanks forced their mode into 1 of its positions aboriginal connected Sunday morning, the latest successful a bid of incidents successful caller days.

In a statement, the UN Interim Force successful Lebanon (Unifil) said 2 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks destroyed the main gross of a station successful Ramyah, adjacent the borderline with Israel, and "forcibly entered the position" to petition it crook retired its lights.

About 2 hours later, it said rounds were fired adjacent that saw fume participate the camp, causing 15 peacekeepers to endure tegument irritations and gastrointestinal reactions.

These incidents were "shocking violations", it said.

The connection comes aft Israel's premier curate Benjamin Netanyahu urged Unifil to determination distant from areas wherever warring was taking spot "immediately".

In a video connection issued by his bureau connected Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu told Unifil to get its troops "out of harm's way", claiming that their beingness successful the portion made them "hostages of Hezbollah".

Israel has faced planetary condemnation for erstwhile instances successful which Unifil troops person been injured successful confederate Lebanon - with the IDF admitting work for firing toward UN posts successful immoderate cases.

Unifil said: "For the 4th clip successful arsenic galore days, we punctual the IDF and each actors of their obligations to guarantee the information and information of UN unit and spot and to respect the inviolability of UN premises astatine each times."

It described the breach of its station successful Ramyah arsenic "a further flagrant usurpation of planetary law".

Unifil added that connected Saturday state troops had blocked them from carrying retired a "critical" logistical question adjacent Meiss El Jebel, besides adjacent the border.

Israel has antecedently asked Unifil to retreat northbound by 5km (3 miles) aft it launched an penetration targeting the equipped radical Hezbollah. Unifil has truthful acold refused that request.

Hezbollah and Israel person been trading adjacent regular cross-border occurrence since past October, erstwhile the Palestinian militant radical Hamas attacked communities successful confederate Israel.

Nearly 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are stationed successful Lebanon, alongside astir 800 civilian staff.

Since 1978, they person patrolled the country betwixt the Litani River and the UN-recognised bound betwixt Lebanon and Israel known arsenic the "Blue Line".

Prior to Sunday's incidents, 5 peacekeepers had been injured successful caller days.

On Saturday, Unifil said a worker had been changeable astatine its office successful the metropolis of Naquora - though it did not cognize the root of the bullet.

The time before, the IDF said its troops were liable for an incidental successful which 2 Unifil troops from Sri Lanka were injured.

On Thursday, 2 Indonesian Unifil soldiers were injured falling from an reflection operation aft an Israeli vessel fired towards it.

Those incidents prompted rebukes from respective of Israel's allies, including France, Italy and Spain. A Downing Street spokesperson said the UK was "appalled".

In his comments connected Sunday, Netanyahu said European leaders should nonstop their disapproval towards Hezbollah, not Israel.

Israel argues that Unifil has failed to stabilise the portion and forestall Hezbollah fighters from operating southbound of the Litani River - among the reasons for a UN beingness there.

It has antecedently said that it was acting connected a 2004 UN solution calling for the disbanding of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militant groups, and that its petition for peacekeepers to retreat was truthful it could face Hezbollah.

Netanyahu said these appeals had been "met with refusals", and that Unifil was providing a "human shield to Hezbollah terrorists".

"This endangers some them and the lives of our soldiers," helium added.

"We regret the injuring of Unifil soldiers and we are doing everything successful our powerfulness to forestall this injuring. But the elemental and evident mode to guarantee this is simply to get them retired of the information zone."

Unifil officials person repeatedly refused to retreat troops from the region.

The body's spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told the AFP quality bureau connected Saturday that determination had been a "unanimous determination to enactment due to the fact that it's important for the UN emblem to inactive alert precocious successful this region".

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nijab Mikati condemned Netanyahu's position.

In a statement, helium said the Israeli PM's comments represented "a caller section successful the enemy's attack of not complying with planetary legitimacy".

Mikati urged different nations "to instrumentality a steadfast presumption that stops the Israeli aggression".