LEBANON – Israeli army gunfire and bomb explosion in Southern Lebanon injured a UN peacekeeper, according to UNIFIL on Friday Dec. 26.

The peacekeeping mission said heavy machine gunfire from Israeli positions south of the Blue Line made impact near a UNIFIL patrol inspecting a roadblock in the village of Bastarra, followed by a grenade explosion nearby.

“The sound of the gunfire and the explosion left one peacekeeper slightly injured with ear concussion,” it added in a statement.

In a separate incident, the UNIFIL said a second patrol carrying out “a routine operational task” in the village of Kfar Shouba also reported machine gunfire from the Israeli side in immediate proximity to their position.

The UN mission said that it had informed the Israeli army in advance about the patrol activities “following usual practice for patrols in sensitive areas near the Blue Line.”

The mission described incidents on or near peacekeepers as “serious violations of Security Council resolution 1701,” reiterating its call on the Israeli army “to cease aggressive behaviour and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line.”

A ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November 2024, after more than a year of attacks that killed more than 4,000 people and injured 17,000 others against the backdrop of the Israeli war in Gaza.

At least 335 people have been killed and 973 others wounded in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January 2025 under the ceasefire, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.