Austin raises concerns about UN attacks in Lebanon with Israeli defense minister

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday and discussed concerns about the safety of United Nations workers in Lebanon who say they have been targeted by Israeli troops.

Austin, who spoke to Gallant for the first time since a Wednesday in-person meeting in Washington was canceled, said in the call he supported Israel's right to defend itself but also raised concerns about the safety of peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"Secretary Austin also emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces in the area and urged coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible," a Pentagon readout of the meeting said.

UNIFIl said in a post on the social platform X that its headquarters in the city of Naqoura was hit Friday by an explosion for the second time in the past two days, injuring two peacekeepers. The group also criticized the Israeli military for destroying infrastructure.

"This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times," the organization wrote.

Israel said in a Friday post that troops operating in southern Lebanon had fired against a threat near the Naqoura U.N. headquarters and confirmed two peacekeepers were injured.

"Hours before the incident, the IDF instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter into protected spaces and remain there. This instruction was in place at the time of the incident," the Israeli military said. "The IDF is in contact with UNIFIL for coordination purposes and will continue to do so."

The military said it was "continuing to examine the circumstances of the incident" but also blamed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, saying it "deliberately operates with the intent to harm Israeli civilians from civilian areas and near UNIFIL posts, thereby endangering UNIFIL personnel."

UNIFIL also accused Israel on Thursday of injuring peacekeepers and targeting infrastructure for U.N. operations. The military responded that it "maintains routine communication with UNIFIL" and has directed peacekeepers to safety.

Israel moved into Lebanon in late September in what it claims are limited operations against Hezbollah designed to ensure that the some 60,000 displaced Israeli residents at the border can return safely back to their homes. Hezbollah has been firing rockets across the border at Israel for more than a year in solidarity with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel is being accused of disproportionate attacks on civilians in Lebanon, similar to accusations in Gaza, where more than 42,000 people have been killed. About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion that started the war, and Palestinian fighters also took some 250 hostages.

In Lebanon, more than 2,100 people have been killed since the war began. A deadly Israeli strike targeting central Beirut on Thursday killed 22 people and injured 117 in the deadliest single attack in the center of the capital since the war began.