As UN peacekeepers come under fire, India backs joint statement against Israeli action

Two UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were wounded successful an Israeli onslaught Friday adjacent their watchtower successful Naqoura successful southbound Lebanon, Israel’s subject said, portion blasts shook the peacekeepers’ main basal successful the country for the 2nd clip successful 48 hours arsenic Israeli forces battled the Hezbollah.

The UNIFIL unit called it a “serious development” and said the information of UN unit and spot indispensable beryllium guaranteed.

The unit has much than 10,000 peacekeepers from dozens of countries, and Indian troops relationship for the 2nd largest fig with astir 900 unit serving there.

The associated connection by the unit contributing countries “strongly condemned” the attacks connected the UNIFIL peacekeepers and said that “such actions indispensable halt immediately” and “should beryllium adequately investigated”.

While the 34 unit contributing countries had enactment retired the connection astatine 7.01 p.m. IST, the Indian connection “aligning” itself with the connection came an hour-and-half aboriginal astatine 8.35 p.m. IST.

This connection besides reflects India’s disquiet implicit Israel’s actions targeting the UN forces — a precise antithetic presumption from its balancing act, and enactment for Israel’s actions against Hamas and Hezbollah implicit the past 1 year, particularly successful the past fewer months.

On Friday, India expressed interest implicit the “deteriorating” information concern amid reports that UN peacekeepers person been caught successful the intensified warring successful confederate Lebanon.

“We are acrophobic astatine the deteriorating information concern on the Blue Line. We proceed to show the concern closely,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The 120-km Blue Line is simply a UN-recognised demarcation enactment indicating withdrawal of Israeli subject from confederate Lebanon. It separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights, but it is not an authoritative planetary border.

“Inviolability of UN premises indispensable beryllium respected by all, and due measures taken to guarantee the information of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate,” the MEA said.

On October 10, the UNIFIL said that “recent escalation on the Blue Line is causing wide demolition of towns and villages successful southbound Lebanon”.

“In the past days, we person seen incursions from Israel into Lebanon successful Naqoura and different areas. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers person clashed with Hizbullah elements connected the crushed successful Lebanon,” it said successful a statement.

Defending Israeli subject actions, Israel’s  Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said Friday that Hezbollah was firing astatine Israel adjacent to UNIFIL posts, utilizing the peacekeepers arsenic a shield. “Lebanese Hizbollah is firing astatine Israel successful proximity to UNIFIL outposts, criminally utilizing them arsenic a shield. Israel volition proceed to instrumentality measures to safeguard UN forces and coordinate with each liable stakeholders indispensable steps to support their safety,” helium said successful a station connected X.