Attack on UN peacekeepers condemned

The Israel-Hamas conflict that has spilled into Lebanon intensified on Thursday as a UN peacekeeping mission said that it was fired on by Israeli forces, drawing worldwide condemnation.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said two of its personnel were injured when an Israeli tank fired at a watchtower at the force's main headquarters in Ras al-Naqoura, hitting the tower and causing the peacekeepers to fall. There were no deaths, a UN source said.

"This is highly concerning, not only because the peacekeepers are there, but because this was done by, you know, most probably a deliberate attack against our troops, which is a violation or a grave violation of international humanitarian law," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said.

"This incident is intolerable and cannot be repeated," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday at a news conference after talks with Southeast Asian leaders at the ASEAN summits held in Laos.

"I condemn the fact that there was a shooting against a UN premise, wounding two peacekeepers, which is a violation of international humanitarian law," Guterres said.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, voiced "grave concerns" about the situation in Lebanon at a UN Security Council briefing on Thursday.

"Recent weeks have witnessed a sharp rise in tensions between Lebanon and Israel. … The IDF attacked UNIFIL positions and an observation tower, causing injuries to UNIFIL personnel," he said.

"We demand that these attacks be investigated and those responsible be held to account. Measures must be taken to prevent any reoccurrence," Fu said. "We reiterate that all parties to the conflict must effectively guarantee the safety and security of all UN personnel and assets, including UNIFIL."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday: "Such actions must be stopped immediately," Mao said, calling for an "investigation into the incident, accountability for those responsible, and measures to be taken to prevent a recurrence".

UNIFIL, which has about 10,000 peacekeepers stationed in south Lebanon, has called for a cease-fire since an escalation between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at the end of September, after a year of cross-border fire, Agence France-Presse reported.

Italy said the acts "could constitute war crimes" while Washington said it was "deeply concerned".

Israel's military said in a statement its troops operated in the Naqoura area, "next to a UNIFIL base".

"Accordingly, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area," Israel's statement said, adding that it maintains routine communication with UNIFIL.

Fighting intensifies

In New York, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the country was focused on fighting Hezbollah and recommended UNIFIL relocate 5 kilometers north "to avoid danger as fighting intensifies".

Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,169 people in Lebanon over the last year, the Lebanese government said in its daily update. The majority have been killed since Sept 27, when Israel expanded its military campaign.

Hezbollah cross-border fire at Israel has killed 53 people over the same period, more than half of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Lebanon and other states called for more pressure on Israel to end its military campaigns in the Middle East at a meeting at the UN in Geneva on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The United Arab Emirates has called for intensified international efforts to stop the conflict.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pledged an urgent relief aid package worth $100 million to Lebanon, the state news agency WAM reported.

Meanwhile, a senior Hezbollah official eluded an Israeli assassination attempt on Thursday in Beirut, three security sources said.

Wafiq Safa, who heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, was targeted by Israel on Thursday night but survived, the security sources said.

Earlier on Thursday, a Lebanese security source told Reuters that Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut targeted at least one senior official in Hezbollah.

The Israeli strikes hit a densely packed residential neighborhood of apartment buildings and shops in the heart of Beirut. Israel had not previously struck the area, which is removed from Beirut's southern suburbs where Israel has repeatedly bombed Hezbollah's headquarters.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, at least 28 people including women and children, were killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza, while three hospitals in the north were told to evacuate, putting patients' lives at risk, medics said.

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had carried out a "precise strike on terrorists" who had a command-and-control center embedded in a school.

The Palestinian militant group denied the accusations. Medics said 54 other people were injured at the school.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.