Defense Minister Margarita Robles denounced on Monday that Spanish peacekeepers were attacked last Sunday in southern Lebanon by an Israeli tank. “A contingent that we have in Lebanon and that was carrying out a reconnaissance mission was attacked by an Israeli tank,” the minister said at the Metafuturo Forum, organized by Atresmedia. Robles stressed that “fortunately” the Spanish soldiers “protected themselves and are all well”. The minister added that the Spanish government sent “a complaint” and that the United Nations issued a statement condemning it, while Israel “tried to justify” the behavior of its military.
According to UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force for Lebanon), the attack occurred at six in the morning on Sunday against a UN patrol, by an Israeli army Merkava tank inside Lebanese territory. “The heavy machine gun shots hit about five meters from the peacekeepers, who were on foot and had to take cover using the terrain,” explained UNIFIL, which through its ties with the Israeli army called for an immediate ceasefire. The Spanish soldiers “managed to leave the area 30 minutes later, when the Merkava tank retreated to the Israeli army position” on Lebanese soil. “Fortunately there were no injuries,” he clarified.
The United Nations condemned an incident which could have had tragic consequences and which, it underlined, represents in any case “a serious violation of Security Council resolution 1701”. “We once again call on the Israeli military to cease any aggressive behavior and attacks against or near peacekeeping forces working to support the return to stability that both Israel and Lebanon say they want,” the statement added.
The Israeli military acknowledged the attack but said that blue helmets The Spaniards “were classified as suspicious due to bad weather conditions.” Israel added that its troops “do not fire deliberately at UNIFIL soldiers” and that “the incident is under investigation.” However, the Lebanese army has denounced continued violations of the ceasefire in the south of the country by the Israeli armed forces, which maintain five military positions inside Lebanon. The same Sunday, Israeli soldiers killed the director of a school in the town of Mansuri, near Tyre, after saying he was “a terrorist” from the Shiite militia Hezbollah.
Under pressure from Israel, the United States imposed on the UN Security Council last August that the mission in Lebanon should end on December 31, 2026. By then, the Lebanese armed forces were supposed to take control of the southern part of the country, which is now garrisoned by around 10,000 peacekeepers, of which almost 700 are Spanish. However, the Lebanese army accuses Israel of causing instability in the area with its continuous attacks, preventing the completion of its deployment.
