'Intolerable': Global Outrage as Israeli Forces Fire on UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday joined human rights organizations and the foreign ministers of major countries in condemning the Israeli military's targeting of U.N. peacekeeping forces stationed in Lebanon, where Israel has killed more than 2,000 people in bombings and ground attacks in recent weeks.

"This incident is intolerable and cannot be repeated," said Guterres after the U.N. Interim Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)—an international body of more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel from dozens of countries—issued a statement accusing Israel of "deliberately" targeting the operation's positions. UNIFIL has been present in southern Lebanon since 1978.

On Thursday, UNIFIL said, "two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall." The two injured soldiers were from Indonesia.

"Indonesia strongly condemns the attack," Retno Marsudi, the country's foreign affairs minister, said in response. "Attacking U.N. personnel and property is a major violation of International Humanitarian Law."

Global outrage soon followed, with the top diplomats of Spain, France, Italy, China, Turkey, and other nations issuing statements forcefully condemning the attack.

The United States, Israel's top ally and arms supplier, offered a more muted response, with the Biden White House saying it was "deeply concerned" by the attack while repeating Israel's claim that it is conducting "targeted operations" against Hezbollah, the Lebanese paramilitary group and political party.

Asked about the attack during a briefing on Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said he would "refer you to the IDF to talk about their operations in that regard."

Israel's attack on the peacekeeping force came after the IDF requested that UNIFIL relocate from the Israel-Lebanon border—a request that the U.N. mission denied.

"The peacekeepers are currently staying in their position, all of them," Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. under-secretary-general for peace operations, told reporters last week. "The parties have an obligation to respect the safety of and security of peacekeepers, and I want to insist on that."

Israel has killed U.N. personnel in unprecedented numbers since late last year, mostly in the Gaza Strip. Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday demanded an urgent international probe of Israel's attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon, calling it an "apparent violation of the laws of war."

"With over 2,000 people killed and over a million people displaced in Lebanon since mid-September, it is crucial for UNIFIL to be allowed to fulfill its civilian protection and humanitarian functions," Lama Fakih, HRW's Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement. "Attacks on UNIFIL not only impede the peacekeeping forces' work but also the ability of civilians in the south to access much-needed humanitarian aid."