UAV brought down by UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon reported that an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) of unknown origin approached one of the mission's Maritime Task Force ships off the southern Lebanese coast earlier on Thursday, and in accordance with procedures, electronic countermeasures were used to bring down the UAV, a UN spokesman said, reported Xinhua.

"The mission is investigating the incident," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said at a daily briefing.

Wednesday marked the highest number of violations of Lebanese airspace by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a 24-hour period since Oct. 8, 2023, with 60 violations, said Dujarric, citing the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Strikes were reported in areas across Lebanon, including the Beqaa valley, Sidon and Nabatiyeh, while strikes by Hezbollah into northern Israel also continued, including towards Haifa, he said.

The spokesman said that over the past 24 hours, peacekeepers continued to observe exchanges of fire across the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, as well as continued military activity by the IDF within UNIFIL's area of operations. Some of this activity continued to take place close to UN positions and compromise the safety and security of peacekeepers.

UNIFIL observed an IDF tank firing at a watchtower at a UN position near Kfar Kila on Wednesday, he said. "The tower was damaged and cameras were destroyed. Fortunately, no peacekeepers were injured."

"We continue to protest these actions with the Israeli authorities and remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that escalating airstrikes are severely impacting families across the country.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 11,000 people injured since October 2023, while more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that in Lebanon, over 260,000 Lebanese people and refugees are being assisted with some type of cash assistance, and in Syria, according to the relevant authorities, over 405,000 people -- both Lebanese and Syrian -- are estimated to have crossed from Lebanon to Syria.

"UNHCR and partner organizations continue to have a presence at the Syrian crossing points and provide assistance to new arrivals," Dujarric said.