UNIFIL says small-arms fire hit its post near Kfar Shouba; no one hurt

Mixed · 2The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Wednesday 7 October that several rounds of small-arms fire hit one of its positions near Kfar Shouba along the Blue Line in Sector East. 1 2 Centre · 1No one was injured. According to Anadolu, all peacekeepers at the position took shelter shortly after the first round, and most rounds hit the perimeter wall while some hit accommodation units and UN vehicles inside the base. 2 Mixed · 2UNIFIL called the shooting "unacceptable" and said such "deliberate attacks" gravely endanger peacekeepers' lives. It said it had opened an investigation into the circumstances. 1 2

Centre · 1The statement did not say who fired the shots. It reminded all actors of their obligations under international law and said an attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701, and "may amount to a war crime". 2 Right · 1The incident comes as UNIFIL's future is in doubt. AFP reported that the UN Security Council decided in August, under US pressure, to end the mandate in December. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned last month at the UN of a vacuum if the force, which has about 7,500 troops from around 50 countries, withdraws without a replacement. 1 Mixed · 2Both reports place the incident against the backdrop of a US-sponsored Israel-Lebanon framework agreement signed in June. It provides for Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal and deployment of the Lebanese army. AFP says violence has decreased since a June ceasefire. Anadolu says Israel has kept up attacks and a military presence in the south, and cites Lebanese figures of at least 4,386 people killed since 2 March. 1 2