00:00Hi, Ketavan.
00:01So what more do we know about this latest incursion?
00:03Well, we've been getting sort of several information about several incidents at the
00:09same time.
00:10So UNIFIL sort of releasing this statement.
00:14So the main event that you mentioned happened at around 4.30 a.m., according to the U.N.
00:20peacekeeping mission, this morning, where they say that two Israeli tanks destroyed
00:28a U.N. position's main gate and forcibly entered that position.
00:34That was one of the peacekeeping mission's 29 positions in southern Lebanon.
00:41This position located near Ramia, the area of Ramia, which is basically sort of on that
00:49blue line area, pretty much in the middle of that blue line.
00:55So this was the first area that was targeted, and they stayed there for about 45 minutes
01:03and then left that position.
01:06The UNIFIL says that after they left, there were also some firing.
01:12There were rounds fired at that same position, firing that created smoke, so maybe smoke
01:19bombs.
01:20That impacted at least 15 of the peacekeepers, but with very light injuries or most likely
01:29skin irritations.
01:31Then they also say that they saw three platoons that actually crossed over that blue line
01:37and into Lebanese territory, and UNIFIL also used this announcement to talk about an incident
01:44that happened on Saturday, where they say that Israeli soldiers blocked a UNIFIL movement,
01:51this time near Mais al-Jabal, which is much further east from the area where the incident
01:56happened today.
01:57So several incidents happening, all of them happening actually before that video that
02:04was released by Benjamin Netanyahu telling the U.N. peacekeepers to basically get out
02:11of the way, get out of harm's way.
02:14So adding to the past few days of these incidents between U.N. peacekeeping forces and Israeli
02:21forces in southern Lebanon.
02:23So we've seen five people, five peacekeepers injured, Ketavan.
02:27We've seen widespread international condemnation, but concretely, what are the consequences,
02:32the legal ramifications of Israel's targeting of peacekeepers?
02:36Well there are two things to look at.
02:38One is the presence of the U.N. peacekeepers and the fact that the Israelis are asking
02:43them to leave.
02:44The U.N. peacekeepers are there through that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
02:50And part of their basic principles is to make sure that there are no foreign forces on Lebanese
02:55territory unless there's government consent, and no armed personnel other than the Lebanese
03:01army and the U.N. forces between that blue line and the Litany River.
03:08So obviously this has not been respected, neither by Hezbollah nor by the Israeli forces,
03:14but it is a U.N. resolution and we know that it is very hard to implement consequences
03:20against any violation of that besides sort of slaps on the wrist.
03:24And then there's the question of targeting U.N. peacekeepers.
03:27In that case, in the Rome Statute, it says that intentional targeting of humanitarian
03:34and peacekeeping missions is a war crime.
03:38The problem is that Israel, for example, is not a signatory or doesn't recognize the
03:43Rome Statute.
03:45So there are condemnations, international community condemnations, but the problem is
03:51that concretely there is not much that they can do and that they are, at least for now,
03:57willing to do besides condemning these moves.
04:00The situation is certainly getting increasingly tense.
04:03Ketavan Gordostani, thank you very much.
