UN observer force in Lebanon says member lightly hurt by grenade from Israeli drone

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Lebanon said Sunday one of its observers was lightly injured by a grenade dropped by an Israeli drone in the Kafr Kila area of southern Lebanon a day earlier, in the third incident of its kind in just over a month.

“Just before noon yesterday, an Israeli drone dropped a grenade that exploded near a UNIFIL position” in Kafr Kila, the international observer force said, adding that the lightly wounded observer received medical assistance.

“Before the grenade was dropped, peacekeepers had observed two drones flying near their position,” said UNIFIL.

Responding to UNIFIL, the Israeli military said it had intended to disperse suspects from a Hezbollah site.

“Yesterday, IDF troops operated to distance suspects who attempted to reestablish a military structure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization” in the Kafr Kila area, “by means of a grenade,” said the IDF’s international media spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani on X.

“A report was received from UNIFIL, through the military liaison channel, that a UNIFIL soldier was injured as a result of the grenade explosion. The incident was reviewed, and safety distance procedures for strikes near UNIFIL positions were reinforced,” Shoshani said.

He said that the IDF would “act against Hezbollah’s entrenchment and terrorist activity, which pose a threat to the State of Israel.”

“The IDF emphasizes that it operates against attempts to restore Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, which violates the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, while maintaining a clear distinction from UNIFIL’s activities,” Shoshani added.

Earlier this month, UNIFIL accused the IDF of dropping grenades near its observers in southern Lebanon who were providing security for workers clearing rubble left over from the war. The IDF said at the time that it was investigating the incident.

In a similar episode in September, UNIFIL said Israeli drones had dropped four grenades near peacekeepers. The military said there had been “no intentional fire” directed at the force.

UNIFIL said Saturday’s incident represented “another serious violation of Resolution 1701 and concerning disregard for the safety of peacekeepers.”

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and formed the basis of Israel’s November 27 ceasefire with the terror group.

The ceasefire ended a conflict sparked when Hezbollah began launching near-daily attacks on northern Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group invaded southern Israel, sparking the Gaza war.

Hezbollah’s attacks displaced some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. In a bid to ensure their return, Israel escalated its operations in Lebanon in September 2024, decimating Hezbollah’s leadership and invading the country.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah and Israel were both required to withdraw from south Lebanon, while UNIFIL deployed there alongside the Lebanese military, in part to help dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.

Israel has maintained its troops in five locations it deems strategic, and kept up regular strikes on what it says are Hezbollah targets violating the truce.

“We again call on the (Israeli army) to cease attacks on or near peacekeepers, who are working to rebuild the stability that both Israel and Lebanon have committed to restore,” the UN peacekeeping force said.

UNIFIL has been deployed since 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, and numbers some 10,000 personnel from almost 50 countries. In August, the UN Security Council voted to end UNIFIL’s mission in 2027.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.