Israeli Intel: Hezbollah Fired on UNIFIL During Cease-Fire; One French Peacekeeper Killed

The IDF spokesperson said this morning (Sunday) that following an operational and intelligence review, it can be confirmed that a terrorist cell from the Hezbollah terrorist organization opened fire at a UNIFIL force operating yesterday in the village of Ghandourieh in southern Lebanon. According to the statement, the shooting occurred during an unexploded-ordnance clearance operation carried out by the international force.

As a result of the shooting, a French soldier serving with UNIFIL was killed, and three other members of the force were wounded—two of them seriously. Yesterday, Hezbollah denied any connection to the incident in an official communiqué.

In Lebanon, concern over the incident's repercussions is growing. The newspaper "Nidaa al-Watan", aligned with Hezbollah's opponents, reported this morning, citing political sources, that this may have been a deliberate move by the organization. According to them, this is the most significant attack since the cease-fire took effect, and there is fear that it is not an isolated event but "the beginning of a series of security incidents" that could undermine the country's fragile stability in the south.

The report also claimed that the attack may have been aimed at thwarting the Lebanese government's efforts to rally broad international support for the ongoing negotiations, and even to disrupt the direct contacts that have begun to develop between Lebanon and Israel.

Meanwhile, a UNIFIL spokesperson addressed the incident in an interview with Sky News Arabia: "It is very likely that those who carried out the attack against our forces in southern Lebanon belong to Hezbollah. The attack on our forces is very serious and could be considered a war crime".