Middle East latest: 'Serious development' as explosions reported at UN peacekeeper base in Lebanon (2025)

We have been reporting today that two people from UNIFIL, the UN's peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, were injured when Israel fired on them yesterday.

Now, the IDF has commented on the incident and said the peacekeepers were "inadvertently hurt during IDF combat against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon".

"The IDF expresses deep concern over incidents of this kind and is currently conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command to determine the details," IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani said.

"It is crucial to note that the IDF is operating in southern Lebanon as part of an ongoing conflict with Hezbollah whose terrorists and infrastructure are in close proximity to UNIFIL positions posing a significant risk to the safety of peacekeepers."

Mr Shoshani said the military took "every precaution to minimise harm to civilians and peacekeepers alike".

UNIFIL said earlier the explosions went off close to an observation tower at its headquarters in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura.

One of the injured peacekeepers was taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Tyre, while the other was treated at the site.

A number of images have been emerging today from the site of Israel's airstrikes in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, which killed 22 people and wounded dozens more.

The air raid, the deadliest attack on centralBeirut in over a year of war, hit two residential buildings in neighborhoods that have swelled with displaced people fleeing Israeli bombardment elsewhere in the country.

Dozens of people have been wounded byIsraeli quadcopter fire at a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, the Palestinian Civil Defence has said.

The agency said crews were transferring those injured to a nearby hospital.

We'll bring you more details as we get them.

We reported earlier on a UN source who said Israeli forces had attacked the organisation's peacekeeper observation post in Lebanon again this morning.

It came after two people from UNIFIL, the UN's peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, were injured when Israel fired on them yesterday.

An official UN statement now appears to have confirmed the second attack, while providing more detail about the incident at the Naqoura headquarters.

"Two peacekeepers were injured after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower," the statement said.

"One injured peacekeeper was taken to a hospital in Tyre, while the second is being treated in Naqoura.

"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.

"Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a UNIFIL Quick Reaction Force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position."

The spokesperson added that the attacks again put UN peacekeepers "at very serious risks".

"This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times," they said.

"Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)."

Downing Street has joined a growing chorus of international condemnation, saying it is "appalled" by reports that Israel deliberately fired on peacekeepers in Lebanon.

"It is vital that peacekeepers and civilians are protected," a spokeswoman said.

Asked if Sir Keir Starmer saw the attacks as a breach of international law, she said: "All parties must always do everything possible to protect civilians and comply with international law. But we continue to reiterate that and call for an immediate ceasefire."

Meanwhile, the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said there was "no justification" for the strikes and called them "an inadmissible act".

The Italian defence ministry has summoned Israel's ambassador in protest, while the Irish premier has said he is deeply concerned at the reports.

ByAlex Rossi, international correspondent, in Beirut

The residential district in central Beirut where the airstrike hit is claustrophobic.

The buildings that still stand around the site of destruction are about seven to eight storeys tall.

This area was packed with people when it was attacked.

In many ways, it's surprising the death toll is not even higher. The nearby hospitals are crowded with the injured - many of them seriously.

It's reported that Israel was trying to assassinate a Hezbollah leader, Wafiq Safa, who is the head of liaison and coordination for the group. His fate is unclear, though Hezbollah sources have told Sky News that he survived.

Many of the civilians in and around the building did not.

We watched as search and rescue workers scoured through the rubble. The chance of finding any survivors is remote.

The building is just a mass of debris. Some of the walls of the buildings nearby have been blown out.

You can look in at the lives destroyed by this explosion. Family portraits still hang on the walls.

We met Ibrahim as he packed up his things to move away from the area.

He's fearful about what comes next.

"What do you want me to tell you? What happened was extremely scary. The sound was so loud, the building started to shake as if it was an earthquake," he said.

"Now we came back to take our stuff and go stay by the seaside."

The attack on this area is a significant escalation by Israel. It was thought to be relatively safe - away from the Hezbollah stronghold, Dahieh, in southern Beirut.

In fact, many of the families that were here at the time of the airstrikes had fled those areas hoping to find sanctuary.

The fact they did not has left many people now wondering, is anywhere still safe in the capital?

Israel's military chief and the head of its Shin Bet security agency held a security assessment inside southern Lebanon yesterday, the IDF has said.

"We continue to operate against the enemy and will not stop until we ensure that we can safely return the residents [evacuated from the north], not just now, but with a future outlook," said Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi in a video of the gathering released by the military.

"If anyone considers rebuilding these villages again, they will know that it's not worth constructing terrorist infrastructure because the IDFwill neutralise them again."

Ronen Bar, who heads the Shin Bet, said that "on a peaceful border, defence is on one side; on a wartime border, defence must be on both sides of the border with freedom of action".

As we have been reporting, Israel is facing heavy criticism over its attacks on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon.

A UN source said Israel had injured two people when it fired on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon this morning.

The UN peacekeeping mission known asUNIFILis stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel - an area that has seen serious clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

It comes after UNIFIL said two of its peacekeepers were injured when one of its watchtowers was hit by Israeli tank fire yesterday.

The attacks have prompted a growing chorus of international condemnation, with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati denouncing what he described as"a crime".

This sentiment was echoed by one of the strongest statements condemning the attacks, from Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who said it was a possible war crime.

"This was not a mistake and not an accident," Mr Crosetto told a news conference.

"It could constitute a war crime and represented a very serious violation of international humanitarian law."

His comments are notable because, unlike some European countries, Italy has been highly supportive of Israel throughout its year-long war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

European Council president Charles Michel said: "An attack against a UN peace mission is not responsible, is not acceptable and that's why we call onIsraeland we call on all sides to fully respect international humanitarian law."

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry said: "Moscow is outraged by the actions of the Israeli military.

"The Russian side demands that it refrain from any hostile actions against the UNIFIL peacekeepers carrying out their mission in Lebanon."

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: "China expresses grave concern and strong condemnation over the Israeli Defence Forces' attack on UNIFIL positions and observation posts."

AndLama Fakih, of Human Rights Watch, said: "UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon have long played a critical civilian protection and humanitarian role.

"Any targeting of UN peacekeepers by Israeli forces violates the laws of war and dangerously interferes with UNIFIL's civilian protection and aid work."

Several other countries, including France, Spain and Jordan, also denounced the Israeli attacks.

By Mark Austin, chief presenter, in Beirut

The bombing of this city is expanding and reaching new areas.

The bombs fell last night without warning and were the deadliest here for weeks.

It is a sign that the Israelis are going all out to try to destroy Hezbollah, just as they are going all out to destroy Hamas.

But, as in Gaza, it will be impossible to do from the air. So now the ground invasion is growing too.

But so are the accusations of breaches of international law. The Lebanese authorities say 115 medical staff and first responders have been killed since the latest Israeli operation began in earnest. They claim they are being targeted, a war crime if so, but that is something the Israelis vehemently deny.

The UN also says its peacekeepers are being deliberately targeted by the Israelis in southern Lebanon. It all has echoes of 2006 when Israel was accused of attacking UN observation positions and firing with disregard at peacekeepers.

I was here in 2006 and I cannot remember the bombing here in Beirut being as widespread as this. Hezbollah emerged stronger from that war. Israel is determined they will not do so this time. They have dealt a crippling blow to Hezbollah, there is no question about that.

But the big question is where it all could lead for Lebanon.Tomorrow, one of the major Christian political parties here - a significant opponent of Hezbollah - will host a summit they hope leads to their candidate becoming president. If Hezbollah and its allies continue to oppose this, and no consensus candidate can be found, this country could be heading for a political vacuum filled by factional strife.

With military conflict and domestic turmoil, once again the ordinary people of Lebanon will be asking: "At what cost to us?"

The Iranian president has said Israel should "stop killinginnocentpeople".

Speaking to a Russian state TV reporter on the sidelines of an international meeting in Turkmenistan, Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel felt empowered to engage in such actions in the Middle East because it was backed by the United States and the European Union.

"I would like to say to Israel: stop killinginnocentpeople. Stop bombing residential buildings, people who have nothing anyway," said Mr Pezeshkian, while accusing Israel of violating every kind of international agreement.

"It does this because it knows that the US and the European Union are behind it," he added.