Aghakazim Guliyev
Caliber.AzTue, 13 Jan 2026 18:57 UTC
An Israeli Merkava Mk4 Barak tank
The incident occurred around 16:30 local time, when three Israeli tanks positioned themselves north of the so-called buffer zone within the area monitored by the Spanish battalion (Spanbatt) of UNIFIL's Eastern Brigade, commanded by Major General Antonio Bernal Martín,
El Pais reports.
The buffer zone is a security perimeter surrounding five strategic positions maintained by the IDF in Lebanese territory following their last incursion in October 2024. A Spanish patrol moved south of the village of El Khiam to monitor the tanks after they reportedly left the buffer zone.
At that moment, the Israeli tanks fired three rounds from their main guns, calibre 105 or 120 mm. The shells landed 150 and 380 metres from the Spanish patrol, which withdrew to a secure location.
The tanks later returned to their positions in Lebanese territory, and the Spanish soldiers returned to Miguel de Cervantes' base in Marjayún without further incident.
This is not the first time Spanish UN peacekeepers have been involved in such confrontations. The IDF has repeatedly harassed UN personnel, who monitor Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.Backed by the United States, Israel has successfully pushed the UN Security Council to end UNIFIL's mandate at the end of this year, initiating a gradual withdrawal despite the Lebanese Armed Forces still not being fully prepared to assume control of the south or manage the border in place of the Hezbollah militia.
Spain's Defence Staff emphasised that UNIFIL forces, which include over 600 Spanish troops, contribute to peace and stability in southern Lebanon in coordination with both Lebanese and Israeli forces. It condemned any hostile actions against UN personnel as a serious violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which could jeopardise their safety.
Comment: From
Anti-war.com:
Just two weeks after Israeli troops fired on an injured a UNIFIL peacekeeper in southern Lebanon, yet another incident is being reported, with an Israeli tank firing multiple shells at a group of UNIFIL peacekeepers from Spain in the area around Khiam.
Three shots were fired in the incident, which took place on Monday. The shells landed within 150 meters of the peacekeepers, and the UN is warning that incidents of attacks on UNIFIL personnel are becoming "increasingly common," while reiterating that they amount to a "serious violation" of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
Though no UNIFIL peacekeepers were wounded in this case, the incident was particularly concerning because it involved two Israeli Merkava tanks both crossing into Lebanon and advancing deeper into Lebanese territory to go after the UNIFIL. Even when the peacekeepers were fleeing the initial firing, they report that the tanks were using a laser sighting to track them.
Spain is understandingly unhappy with their troops being fired on in the course of a peacekeeping mission, calling the attack "unacceptable" and also a "serious escalation." They urged Israel to stop targeting UNIFIL and respect international law.
That's a big ask, as Israel has targeted the UNIFIL repeatedly for years, and increasingly often in recent months. Israeli officials have said they view UNIFIL as a 'barrier' to their military escalation in Lebanon, which of course in why UNIFIL was created in the first place.
The IDF dismissed the complaints, saying the tanks attacked "Hezbollah infrastructure" that just happened to be about 150 meters away from an active UNIFIL patrol, and that the Spanish forces were never in any danger.
Given the precedents of both Israel regular attacking the UNIFIL, and their tendency to retroactively justify everything they hit by claiming it was secretly Hezbollah, this explanation is almost certain to be insufficient.
Not the first time the trigger-happy IDF have put UN troops in danger:
Israel will shrug it off just the way it did with this incident:
Comment: From Anti-war.com: Not the first time the trigger-happy IDF have put UN troops in danger:
Israel will shrug it off just the way it did with this incident: