US slams Israel’s ‘unacceptable’ attacks on Lebanon soldiers, UN peacekeepers

The US has asked Israel for more details about repeated attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and Lebanese soldiers, a US defense official told Al Arabiya English on Friday night.

“We’ve made it clear to the Israeli government that this is unacceptable and pressed them for more details,” the defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

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The Israeli military attacked and wounded, for the second time in as many days, UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon. Another Israeli attack also killed two Lebanese soldiers and wounded three more, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) said.

Israel has said it is going after Hezbollah’s infrastructure and weapons depots across the country. Washington has voiced full support for its campaign despite publicly stating for almost 12 months that it was against any ground operations or invasion of Lebanon.

So far this week, Israel attacked UNIFIL troops, destroyed a LAF watchtower, planted an Israeli flag inside of Lebanese territory, bombed and destroyed the homes of relatives of current US diplomats and US Embassy Beirut employees.

On Thursday night, an Israeli airstrike destroyed an apartment building in Beirut in what they said was an operation targeting a senior Hezbollah official. It was the deadliest attack on civilians in Lebanon in the last year.

The US defense official said the US was “heartbroken and devastated” by the loss of innocent life due to recent strikes in Beirut. “We have told Israel directly that we oppose Israel’s campaign of near-daily strikes in densely populated areas in Beirut,” the official added.

Reaffirming US support for targeted Israeli operations against Hezbollah infrastructure that could be used to threaten Israeli citizens, the official said: “But it is critical that these operations be conducted in a way that does not threaten the lives of civilians, UN peacekeepers, or members of the Lebanese Armed Forces.”

The Biden administration has provided Israel with at least $17.9 billion in military aid since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack last year, a new report published this week said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, which resulted in the current bombardment of large swathes of Lebanon. After refusing to halt their attacks until a Gaza ceasefire was reached, Israel stepped up its attacks and wiped out almost all of Hezbollah’s leadership, including Hassan Nasrallah.

Earlier Friday, President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Lebanon made similar remarks, voicing frustration with the Israeli attacks on UNIFIL and LAF troops.

“We want the whole conflict to end,” Amos Hochstein said during a televised interview with Lebanon’s LBCI. “We are working on this non-stop,” he said.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart on Thursday night and reiterated Washington’s ironclad support for Israel’s right to defense itself. He also pressed Gallant on ensuring the safety of UNIFIL troops and “urged coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible,” according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

Read more: US-made bomb used by Israel in deadliest attack yet on civilians in Lebanon: Report