UN: Israeli tanks have forced way into base

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said two Israeli tanks had destroyed a gate and forcibly entered a base in the south of the country as Israel's ground operation against Hezbollah moved deeper into Lebanese territory.

- Bethan McKernan

The incident in Ramyah yesterday morning was the latest in a string of violations that Unifil, the UN force deployed since 1978 to southern Lebanon, has blamed on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

After the tanks left, shells exploded about 100 metres from the base, and the ensuing smoke left 15 staffers needing medical treatment despite the use of gas masks. Unifil also accused the Israeli military of holding up a logistics convoy.

In a statement late yesterday, the Israeli military said that a Merkava tank had been trying to evacuate injured soldiers, and backed into the Unifil post accidentally.

Five peacekeepers have been injured since Friday as Israeli ground troops have begun to advance further north in Lebanon after two weeks of intense fighting and airstrikes. The death toll in the small Mediterranean country now stands at more than 1,400 since late September, after intense Israeli airstrikes overnight on the centre of the southern city of Nabatieh.

Unifil said it had requested an explanation from the IDF for what it called "shocking violations".

In a videoed statement to the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, yesterday, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reiterated Israeli calls for Unifil troops to evacuate.