A strike on a Unifil site in Lebanon caused a serious fire but no injuries, The National has learnt, as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres conducted a "solidarity" visit to the country.
Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported on Friday that the strike had hit the Nepalese battalion headquarters in the town of Mays Al Jabal, close to the Blue Line. It accused Israel of carrying out the strike, but the UN has not assigned blame.
"We are aware of reports of an incident impacting a Unifil position. We’re in touch with the mission and will provide further information as soon as possible," a UN peacekeeping representative told The National.
The UN told The National earlier on background that the strike had occurred when the peacekeepers were in the bunkers and a worst-case scenario was avoided.
It added that the world body was very concerned by repeated violations.
Last week, several Ghanaian peacekeepers were wounded in a strike after their position in the town of Qawzah was hit.
Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers have been present in the country since 1978, and are charged with monitoring the cessation of hostilities with Israel and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The incident comes as Mr Guterres was in Lebanon on a "solidarity" visit, as Israel continues to carry out strikes against Hezbollah in the country.
Mr Guterres, who will be in Lebanon until Sunday, appealed to the international community to contribute aid to the people of Lebanon as the US-Israeli war against Iran draws the country further into conflict.
Israel has continued to target sites across Lebanon, after the Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched a series of rockets following the killing of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
More than 770 people have been killed in Lebanon so far. On Friday, the Lebanese Healthy Ministry said 12 healthcare workers had been killed in the southern part of the country.
