Middle East

Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers and listen to concerns of international community - Harris

Comments come after Israeli troops fired on UN headquarters in Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers

The destruction at the site of an Israeli air strike in the Basta area, in Beirut. Israeli ground troops in Lebanon were accused of firing on the UN's peacekeeping headquarters, injuring two Blue Helmets. Photograph: Anwar Amro/Getty Images
Sat Oct 12 2024 - 08:35

Israel must stop firing on United Nations peacekeepers, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said.

It comes after Israeli troops fired on UN headquarters in southern Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers for the second time in as many days.

The conflict in the region between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hizbullah erupted one year ago when Hizbullah began launching rockets at northern Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, at the start of the Gaza war.

It has intensified in recent weeks, with Israel bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hizbullah’s top leaders, and sending ground troops across the border. Hizbullah for its part has fired rockets deeper into Israel.

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Mr Harris is to call for an immediate ceasefire in the region at the European Council.

Earlier this week, the Taoiseach discussed the Israeli activity on the Blue Line with US president Joe Biden in the Oval Office. He said the leaders agreed that the Blue Helmets must “always be afforded full protection”.

The Taoiseach has also been communicating with UN secretary general António Guterres.

In a statement, Mr Harris said: “Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with Unifil in Lebanon. Israel must listen to the voice and the concerns of the international community.”

Mr Harris said he will be discussing the incidents with EU colleagues at next week’s meeting of the European Council.

[ Beirut under attack: ‘It’s a devastating thing for your mind and heart’ ]

“I will be calling for an immediate ceasefire that can allow us to focus on implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and get people back to their homes,” Mr Harris said.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its “reckless and intimidatory” activity.

Mr Martin said there had been a “serious intensification of IDF [Israel Defense Forces] hostility towards UN forces”.

The Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces said Israel has to be accountable for “deliberate” and “direct fire” on UN outposts.

Lieutenant General Seán Clancy said the attacks were a “clear and egregious” violation.

“A round of a tank into an observer tower, which is a very small target, has to be very deliberate, and it is a direct fire,” he said.

“So from a military perspective, this is not an accidental act, it is a direct act.”

[ Why should Irish troops and their peacekeeping colleagues stay in Lebanon as war builds? ]

Israel’s military said two drones from Lebanon were detected late on Friday following sirens that sounded in central Israel, adding that no casualties had been reported.

The military successfully intercepted one drone as both “UAVs were monitored from the moment when they crossed the Lebanese border,” the army added in a statement.

However, one building in Herzliya sustained some damage, the Israeli military and police said in separate statements.

There was no immediate comment from Hizbullah on the drone attack. – Wires