New Delhi: After the firing on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon by Israel, India on Friday (October 11) said it was “concerned” but refrained from condemning the action, adding that the inviolability of UN premises must be “respected by all”.
On Thursday, the UN interim mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank had fired at an observation tower at the mission’s headquarters, causing it to collapse and injuring two peacekeepers.
“We are concerned at the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” said the external affairs ministry’s statement on Friday.
“Inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all, and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate,” it added.
The UN Mission stated on Friday that two more UN peacekeepers were injured when two explosions occurred close to an observation tower at the headquarters in Naquora.
“Today, several T-walls at our UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF caterpillar hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position,” said the latest statement.
With 903 soldiers, India has the third-largest number of troops in UNIFIL after Indonesia and Italy.
In contrast to the stronger responses from other major troop contributors, India’s statement was more restrained, expressing only concern and not condemning the attack or naming Israel directly.
The two injured peacekeepers were from Indonesia, which has the largest contingent in UNIFIL with 1,232 soldiers.
In its official statement, Indonesia said that it “strongly condemns the IDF attack in south Lebanon that injured two Indonesian UN peacekeeping personnel.”
It highlighted that the two soldiers were “carrying out monitoring tasks at the monitoring tower at the Indonesian contingent headquarters in Naqoura.”
Indonesia pointed out that Naquora is within the designated blue line area in southern Lebanon, where the peacekeepers were fulfilling a mandate of the UN Security Council.
The Indonesian foreign ministry reminded the IDF of the importance of respecting UNIFIL troops and property while ensuring the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel. It emphasised that “any attack on peacekeepers is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and UNSC resolution 1701 as the basis of UNIFIL’s mandate.”
Demanding an investigation and that the perpetrators be held accountable, Indonesia also “called on all parties to ensure that the inviolability of UN territory is respected at all times and under all circumstances.”
The Italian government, which has 1,068 troops stationed in UNIFIL, summoned the Israeli ambassador to lodge a protest, “strongly reiterating that what is happening near the base of the UNIFIL contingent is unacceptable.”
President Giorgia Meloni held a telephone conversation with UNIFIL’s west sector commander, General Stefano Messina, to receive an update.
According to the statement, the call took place after “headquarters and two Italian outposts came under fire from the Israeli army.”
The government also expressed “strong solidarity with the Italian military personnel currently serving in Lebanon as part of the UN mission and the bilateral MIBIL [Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon] mission.”
Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto stated that the actions “could constitute war crimes” or, at the very least, “unjustified violations.” He added in a Thursday press conference: “This is not a mistake, this is not an accident.”
Israel had claimed that the UN failed to enforce the 1701 resolution and that this was a reason for its current conflict with Hezbollah. It had asked UNIFIL peacekeepers to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described the attacks on UNIFIL missions as “really dangerous, despicable attacks on peacekeepers”. Ireland has 379 troops in the UN peackeeping mission.
He emphasised that the UN and all troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL must “speak with one voice” regarding Israel’s “breach of international law.”
While acknowledging Israel’s “right to defend itself [and] a right to live in peace and security,” Harris stressed that “international law has to be followed, and proportionality also has to be due.” He noted that, at present, neither of these standards were being upheld.
At a UN Security Council briefing in New York on Thursday, UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, Pierre Lacroix, stated that UNIFIL peacekeepers have remained in place despite instructions from Israeli forces to withdraw five kilometres from the Blue Line.
“It should be remembered that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of our peacekeepers lies with the actors on the ground,” he said.
Lacroix warned that the safety of peacekeepers was now “increasingly in jeopardy,” with Israel’s bombardment rendering UNIFIL’s area of operations in southern Lebanon uninhabitable.
He also highlighted that Hezbollah has been firing across the Blue Line and threatening Israel with more powerful weapons. Furthermore, he reiterated concerns about the “presence of unauthorised armed personnel, assets and weapons south of the Litani River, in grave violation of Council resolution 1701 (2006).”
During its presidency of the UN Security Council in December 2022, as part of its two-year non-permanent membership, India had introduced a resolution calling for accountability for all acts of violence against UN personnel serving in peacekeeping missions.
It also launched a ‘Group of Friends’ on UNSC resolution 2589, which was part of its ‘Protecting the Protectors’ initiative.
However, unlike Indonesia, India has not raised the issue of accountability regarding the recent attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers.
