Reports: Israeli tanks destroy gate near UN peacekeepers

CGTN Europe

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say Israeli tanks destroyed their main gate.   CGTN’s Yasser Hakim reports.

Transcript

00:00Yes, according to a statement from UNIFIL, Paul, there was three tanks, Merkava tanks,

00:07have entered into the headquarters of the UNIFIL at around 4 a.m. local time here in Beirut

00:17and have stayed there for 45 minutes, asked for the peacekeepers to switch off all the lights in the base.

00:27They refused a lot after some contacts for 45 minutes between UNIFIL and the Israeli authorities.

00:34The tanks retreated and left the location.

00:40And an hour later, the tanks also hit some shells beside the UNIFIL area,

00:48did not hit the UNIFIL headquarters, but the smoke and debris has reached the peacekeepers' side

00:56and some of them have been injured but have been treated on the spot.

01:02And again, the UNIFIL again stated its condemnation, has asked for clarification and investigation into the matter

01:11and has called again on the Israeli government to refrain from any actions against UNIFIL

01:20and to ensure the safety of the peacekeepers.

01:25The UNIFIL is there, about 10,000 to 15,000 peacekeepers mandated by the UN according to Resolution 1701,

01:34whereby these peacekeepers who represent 50 countries are there to sort of make some kind of a partition

01:44between southern Lebanon and Israel.

01:47They've been there for at least 15 years, but only the last week, like you said,

01:53there have been several breaches of this agreement or UN resolution by Israel.

02:00It's not the first case, not the second.

02:02Even the UNIFIL said it's deliberate and it has insisted that it will not leave the areas

02:12and will not heed to what the Israeli prime minister has been calling for them to leave south Lebanon

02:18and move inside Lebanese territories by about 10 kilometers, as we understand.

02:25So, so far it's an escalation between Israel and the UN and it seems every side wants to stick to its position.

02:36Meanwhile, 40 countries from around the world have condemned the Israeli attacks on the UNIFIL

02:42and have also called for investigation into the matter.

02:45Back to you.

02:46Okay, Yasser, thank you for that.

02:48And fighting is intensifying in southern Lebanon, isn't it?

02:52Tell us more about the latest strikes.

02:57Yes, we can safely say that today was maybe the fiercest fighting between Hezbollah and Israel

03:04since the Israeli ground offensive started a couple of weeks ago.

03:08The attacks happened since early in the morning and throughout the night until even a few minutes more earlier.

03:18Clashes from both sides on the ground.

03:21We're not just talking about air raids, but clashes between the Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

03:29Israel is trying to infiltrate into the villages on the borders of southern Lebanon

03:34and to try to take each village in the area.

03:38Three platoons of Israeli tanks have crossed into the Lebanese side.

03:44According to Hezbollah, they have faced these platoons that have pushed them back.

03:51However, there were villages in the area that have been taken over by the Israeli side.

03:59Israel is trying to take the villages on the top of the hills.

04:04If you can see behind me, it's the same landscape because it's on the other side of this hill behind me.

04:09It's a high hill and then landscape below.

04:11Israel is trying to take the villages at the high hill at the top of these hills

04:16and be in control of what's happening down and try to control what is happening now.

04:23It's guerrilla warfare on a large landscape in Lebanon where Hezbollah is obviously well aware of this area

04:30and can maneuver around a bit easier than the Israeli forces.

04:35It's not similar like Gaza. Gaza was a bit contained and easier technically for the Israeli forces.

04:43It's a huge piece of land with a lot of trees and valleys, and it's not easy to control.

04:52What to understand is that the Israelis are going with the ground forces and also air raids

04:58to try to cover the ground forces with attacks from the fighter jets and rockets.

05:07It's still intensifying. I think it's just a sign that the war is continuing and might even escalate in the next few days.

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