Beirut, Lebanon. Israel’s military said its tank fire hit a United Nations position in southern Lebanon on March 6, wounding Ghanaian peacekeepers, and described the incident as a mistake during clashes near the border.
Israel acknowledges responsibility
In a statement to Reuters, Israel’s military said its troops were behind the incident but had responded to anti-tank missile fire from Hezbollah that moderately wounded two Israeli soldiers.
“A comprehensive investigation concluded in recent days determined that the fire that hit the UNIFIL personnel was mistakenly carried out by the IDF troops that misidentified the UNIFIL troops as the source of the anti-tank fire moments earlier,” the military said.
It said the IDF regretted the incident and had conveyed apologies through the appropriate channels to Ghana and the United Nations, adding that the findings had been disseminated within the IDF to prevent a recurrence.
UN inquiry and preliminary findings
A Western military source told Reuters that initial findings by an internal U.N. inquiry had suggested Israel was behind the attack.
According to the source, preliminary conclusions led by UNIFIL’s Force Commander Reserve with support from explosive ordnance disposal specialists indicated that three strikes at the al-Qawzah base were direct hits from the main gun of an Israeli battle tank, fired using 120-mm M339 HE-MP-T shells.
UNIFIL’s role and rising risks
The U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel, an area where Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters have clashed.
The mission, which will be halted at the end of 2026, has been sporadically caught in the crosshairs of both Israel and Hezbollah over the last couple of years, and the risks could increase in the coming weeks as Israel considers a broader ground operation.
Regional context
Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, igniting a new Israeli offensive against the group.
What steps do you think are needed to reduce the risk of UN peacekeepers being hit during cross-border hostilities?
