American-made ammunition was used in the attack on central Beirut that killed 22 people and wounded 117, according to an analysis of shrapnel found by the Guardian at the site of the attack.
The attack took place on Thursday evening at a residential complex in the densely populated district of Basta, collapsing the building and destroying cars and the interior of nearby apartments.
This was the deadliest attack on the Lebanese capital since clashes between Hezbollah and Israel began a year ago. The Guardian reports that its reporters found remnants of a US-made direct attack munition (Jdam) in the rubble of a collapsed building on Friday afternoon. Jdam is a guidance system manufactured by the American aerospace company Boeing that is added to bombs weighing up to 900 kilograms, turning them into GPS-guided bombs.
Human Rights Watch's Crisis, Conflict and Weapons Division, as well as a former US Army bomb technician, confirmed that it was this type of ammunition.
"The use of these types of weapons in densely populated areas such as this one exposes civilians and civilian facilities in close proximity to great risk of immediate and long-term harm," said Richard Weir, senior researcher in the crisis division at Human Rights Watch.
American weapons are critical to Israel's operations in Gaza and Lebanon, with Jdam bombs among the most sought-after munitions Israel demands from the US.
A previous investigation by the Guardian revealed that Jdam was used in an attack that killed seven health workers, which Human Rights Watch said was a violation of international law.
The leaders of France, Italy and Spain have released a joint statement condemning the recent Israeli military attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
These attacks are "unjustified" and constitute a "serious violation of Israel's obligations" under international humanitarian law, the statement said.
"We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our gratitude for the continued and irreplaceable commitment of UNIFIL troops/personnel in this extremely challenging context," the statement added.
France, Italy and Spain contribute the most of the European countries to UNIFIL in terms of personnel.
In a joint statement, they called for an immediate ceasefire and expressed confidence in "Israel's commitment to the security of UN missions and bilateral peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, as well as international organizations operating in the region."
The joint statement followed separate comments by the leaders of France, Italy and Spain at a summit of European and Mediterranean leaders in Cyprus, after Israel's military confirmed two UN peacekeepers were wounded when its forces opened fire on a "threat" near a UN position. -a in the south of Lebanon.
Giorgio Meloni, Italy's prime minister, condemned the shooting as unacceptable and said it violated UN Resolution 1701, which regulates the presence of peacekeepers. Italy has more than 1.000 troops in Lebanon.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, demanded "an end to all violence" against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, while Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said it was absolutely unacceptable that the peacekeepers were "deliberately targeted", reports the Guardian.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said thousands of Palestinians were trapped in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, including five of its staff "fearing for their lives", while the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that at least 34 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Friday, half of which in Jabalia.
Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of the Jabaliya camp earlier this week "while simultaneously carrying out attacks, preventing people from leaving the area safely," MSF said.
"No one is allowed in or out - anyone who tries will be shot," said MSF project coordinator Sara Vilsteke.
"We were in Al-Yemen Al-Said hospital, but they bombed it. About 20 people died. I don't know what to do, we can die at any moment. People are starving. I'm afraid to stay, but I'm also afraid to leave" , Hajdar, an MSF driver captured in the Jabalija camp, told the Guardian.
The organization called on Israeli forces to stop the forced displacement and to end the "all-out war against the people of Gaza".
UNRWA head Filipe Lazarini said that the UN aid agency "has never been under so many attacks".
"A year ago, the threat was mainly of a financial nature, but today it is a combination of a political and financial threat. The year 2025 will be, again, a difficult year," he told Reuters.
UNRWA, one of the largest UN agencies, has 13.000 staff in Gaza and more than 30.000 in the region, providing health and education services to Palestinian refugees.
In July, the Israeli parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill that would have declared UNRWA a "terrorist organization." Israeli leaders have accused UNRWA staff of collaborating with Hamas in Gaza, prompting many Western donors to suspend funding.
Lazarini previously accused the Israeli government of waging a campaign to make UNRWA disappear, warning of "devastating consequences" for the UN and the Palestinians.
An Israeli attack on the center of the Lebanese army in Kafra, in southern Lebanon, killed two soldiers and wounded three others, according to information from the army.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Israel for the attack and also criticized the international community for what he said was silence about Israeli crimes.
"This continuous Israeli crime against Lebanon today has not spared the brave soldiers who perform their national duty in protecting the country and defending the people, and the responsibility for this is borne by the international community, which is silent about Israeli crimes. A global conscientious attitude is needed to put an end to this aggression." , said Mikati on the X platform.
Israel admitted that it struck the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Nakura, southern Lebanon, today, injuring two peacekeepers who were taken to hospitals in Lebanon.
UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told CNN that one of the peacekeepers was seriously injured in the blast - the second to hit the headquarters within 48 hours - after shrapnel hit him in the stomach.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Friday that its soldiers had "identified an imminent threat to them" and "responded with fire against the threat".
"In the hours before the incident, the IDF instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter the protected premises and remain there. This instruction was in effect at the time of the incident," the IDF statement said.
More than 220 people have been killed in northern Gaza since the Israeli army resumed attacks last weekend, according to figures from Gaza's Civil Protection and Health Ministry.
The Israel Defense Forces stepped up operations in the north of the enclave on Saturday, targeting what it said was a renewed Hamas presence in the area.
Footage emerged of overturned cars strewn across dusty streets, buildings razed to the ground and Palestinian residents desperately trying to flee the area — scenes reminiscent of the early days of the war, when Israel concentrated its attacks in northern Gaza.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke Thursday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant about Israel's military operations in Lebanon and "stressed the importance of ensuring the security of UNIFIL forces in the area," the Pentagon said.
During the conversation with Galant, Austin emphasized the US's commitment to "a diplomatic solution that will allow Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border," and called on Israel to shift from military operations to a diplomatic path "as soon as possible." possible," the Pentagon said.
More than 1.400 people have been killed in Israeli operations in Lebanon since the end of last month, reports CNN.
No food has entered northern Gaza since early October, putting a million people at risk of starvation, the World Food Program (WFP) told CNN.
In August, approximately 700 aid trucks entered northern Gaza. In September, only 400 aid trucks entered, after commercial operations ceased at the Allenby crossing on the border between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, the WFP added. No food trucks entered northern Gaza in October, the WFP told CNN.
Earlier on Wednesday, the WFP said in a report that aid entering the Gaza Strip had fallen to its lowest level in months, forcing the organization to suspend the distribution of food packages in October.
"Hunger is still widespread and the threat of hunger is still present. If the flow of aid does not continue, one million vulnerable people will be denied this basic aid," the statement said.
Two UN soldiers in southern Lebanon were injured after the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Nakura was hit by explosions for the second time in the last 48 hours, the international peacekeeping mission said.
One injured peacekeeper was transferred to a hospital in Tira, while the other is being treated in Nakura.
UNIFIL described the attacks as a "grave violation of international humanitarian law", detailing an attempt by the Israel Defense Forces to demolish the perimeter walls of one of their positions in the buffer zone that separates southern Lebanon and Israel.
The Israeli military said it was conducting a thorough investigation after being notified that two UN peacekeepers were "unintentionally" injured in southern Lebanon, Reuters reports.
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon warned Friday of "very serious risks" to their blue helmets after explosions wounded two members of the mission near the Israeli border, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Israel and Hezbollah have been clashing in southern Lebanon since last week, when Israel announced "targeted" incursions into Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group.
Friday's incidents came after the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission said its positions had been "repeatedly hit" and two Indonesian blue helmets were injured on Thursday, prompting a wave of international condemnation.
On Friday morning, "Unifil headquarters in Nakura was hit by explosions for the second time in the last 48 hours. Two peacekeepers were injured after two explosions went off near the observation post," the mission said, according to an AFP report.
A UNIFIL spokesman said the injured were peacekeepers from Sri Lanka.
In addition, several protection walls "at our UN position 1-31, near the blue line in Labuene, were demolished when an IDF bulldozer hit the perimeter and IDF tanks approached the UN position."
"These incidents again expose UN peacekeepers, who are serving in southern Lebanon at the request of the Security Council under resolution 1701 (2006), to very serious risks," UNIFIL said in a statement.
Earlier, Lebanon's foreign ministry said the Israeli military targeted "observation posts and the main UNIFIL base in Ras Nakura, as well as a Sri Lankan battalion base, resulting in several injuries."
Lebanon's National News Agency said an Israeli Merkava tank targeted one of UNIFIL's observation posts on the main road linking Tire and Nakura, injuring Sri Lankan personnel.
Hezbollah announced on Friday that it launched a rocket attack on Israeli troops in Ras Nakura, reports AFP.
In an earlier incident on Thursday, UNIFIL said an Israeli tank fired at an observation post at the mission's headquarters in Nakura, hitting it and causing the fall of two peacekeepers who were injured.
The incident drew condemnation from the European members of the mission, as well as from China.
On Thursday, Israel's military said its forces opened fire in the area of the UN base after warning peacekeepers to take cover because Hezbollah fighters were in the area.
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch called on Friday for a UN investigation "into Israeli attacks on peacekeepers" in Lebanon.
Dozens of Palestinians were injured as a result of Israeli quadcopter fire on a school that served as a shelter for displaced people in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, the civil defense said.
Reuters reports that the civil defense said that its teams are transferring the injured to a nearby hospital.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bulldozer demolished barriers at UN position 1-31 near the blue line in Labune, reports Reuters.
UNIFIL said that IDF tanks also moved close to UN positions.
The French foreign ministry said France had summoned Israel's ambassador over an incident in which Israeli troops opened fire on three UN peacekeeping posts in southern Lebanon, including the main UNIFIL base, yesterday.
"These attacks are a serious violation of international law and must stop immediately," the ministry said.
France has about 700 troops who are part of the UNIFIL mission.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, condemned the Israeli attacks in which two UN peacekeepers were injured.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos, Guterres said everything must be done to prevent an all-out war in Lebanon.
He condemned the attack by Israeli forces on the observation post in which two UN peacekeepers from Indonesia were injured and said that the incident was a violation of international law and must not be repeated.
He pointed out that any spread of fighting in the Middle East would have dramatically negative consequences for the whole world and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
"I have never, since I have been Secretary General, seen an example of death and destruction as dramatic as what we are witnessing now. We are witnessing escalation after escalation, a regionalization of conflict that is becoming a threat to global peace and security. We are seeing an enormous tragedy in Lebanon. And we must do everything to avoid general war," said Guterres.
Israel's army chief and the head of its Shin Ben security agency held a security assessment in southern Lebanon on Thursday, the army said on Friday.
"We continue to act against the enemy and will not stop until we ensure that Israeli residents (evacuees from the north) can return safely, not only now, but also with an eye to the future," Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff, said in a video - a recording of the meeting released by the military, according to Reuters.
"If anyone is considering rebuilding these villages, they will know that it is not worth building terrorist infrastructure because the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will neutralize it again," he added.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was appalled by reports that Israel deliberately opened fire on peacekeepers in Lebanon, reports the PA agency.
Asked about reports that Israeli forces had fired on members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a Downing Street spokesman said: "We were appalled to hear the reports and it is crucial that peacekeepers and civilians are protected. As you know, we continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the suffering and bloodshed. This is a reminder of how important it is that we all renew our diplomatic efforts."
More than 42.126 Palestinians have been killed and 98.117 injured in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Friday.
The Ministry does not distinguish between the deaths of combatants and civilians.
The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that more than 100 doctors and emergency workers have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began last year, Reuters reports.
"A total of more than 100 doctors and emergency workers have been killed across Lebanon since October last year," spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a UN briefing, citing data compiled by the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs.
"We have also received several reports of airstrikes on other medical centers, as well as the deaths of medical staff and firefighters," she said.
The spokesman of the World Health Organization (WHO), Christian Lindmeier, said that since September 17, there have been 18 attacks on health facilities in Lebanon, in which 72 health workers were killed.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington was still working to prevent a major war in the Middle East and called on Israel to protect civilians after 22 people were killed in attacks in central Beirut.
Blinken spoke a day after Israeli airstrikes hit two buildings in Beirut, one of which completely collapsed.
"We continue to engage intensively to prevent a wider conflict in the region," Blinken told reporters after the East Asia Summit in Laos, adding that it was "vital" that Israel ensure the protection of civilians during the conflict, Radio Free Europe reports.
Lebanese sources said at least one senior Hezbollah official was targeted in the third attack on Beirut since Israel launched a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month against Iran's ally Hezbollah militant group, sparking fears of an all-out regional war.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported after the attack that the assassination attempt on Wafiq Safa, the group's top security official, had failed. Safa was said not to have been in any of the buildings targeted.
Safa heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, security sources said.
In the Israeli attacks on the center of Beirut on Thursday evening, 22 people were killed and more than 100 were injured, the Lebanese authorities announced. Among the dead was a family of eight, including three children, who had evacuated from the south, according to a security source.
The assassination attempt on Safa, whose role combines security and political affairs, marked a broadening of Israel's targets among Hezbollah officials, who had previously focused on the group's military commanders and top leaders, according to Reuters.
Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 2.169 people since the start of the war in October last year, the Lebanese government said in its daily update. Most have been killed since September 23, when Israel expanded its military campaign into southern Lebanon.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, condemned today the Israeli attack on the United Nations forces deployed in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
"An attack on a United Nations peacekeeping mission is irresponsible, unacceptable," Michel said on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian countries in Laos.
He called on Israel and all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law.
The Israeli army announced yesterday that it opened fire not far from the UNIFIL base in the south of Lebanon, and that it had previously called the blue helmets from that mission to stay safe.
UNIFIL announced that two members of that mission were wounded in an attack by the Israeli army.
(BETA)
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