UN chief says targeting peacekeepers 'may constitute war crime' amid Israeli attacks

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned against targeting peacekeepers amid Israel's ongoing attacks in Lebanon, saying that it "may constitute a war crime."

Sounding the alarm on Israeli army targeting UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel and positions, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the UN premises have been impacted on at least 20 occasions since Oct. 1.

"The Secretary General (Guterres) reiterates that UNIFIL personnel and its premises must never be targeted," Dujarric said, adding that "attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. They may constitute a war crime."

UNIFIL was established as interim force decades ago, in 1978, to help restore peace in the region and as a confirmation of Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Dujarric welcomed UN Security Council's recent statement, urging all parties to respect the safety and security of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

"We appreciate the stated support of the Security Council for the work of our brave peacekeepers, who remain in position in support of efforts to create a space for diplomatic solution to this crisis and support a return of the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701," he said.

Resolution 1701 demands a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line -- the de facto boundary between Lebanon and Israel -- and the Litani River, allowing only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.

He further reiterated UN's call for an immediate cease-fire and end the suffering of civilians.

Expressing concern over the continued hostilities along the Blue Line between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, Dujarric recalled that at least 23 civilians were killed in Northern Lebanon.

"The Secretary General strongly condemns the civilian loss of life. We remain deeply concerned at the impact on civilians on both sides of the Blue Line, but particularly in Lebanon," he said.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,500 people, injuring over 4,500 others, and displacing more than 1.34 million people.

The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed nearly 42,300 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Despite international warnings that the Mideast was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel's relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, it expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.