News EditorFrance, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy issued a joint statement on Monday condemning Israeli attacks on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), declaring that the strikes violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.
The condemnation followed an Israeli airstrike on a village in northern Lebanon that killed at least 21 people, according to local officials. The strike marked one of the northernmost assaults since Israel launched its military offensive in late September.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to strike Hezbollah “without mercy,” following a deadly drone attack on an Israeli military base near Haifa, which resulted in the deaths of at least four soldiers and left over 60 wounded.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have continued to claim civilian lives. Lebanese health officials and the Red Cross confirmed that an Israeli strike on an apartment building in northern Lebanon killed at least 21 people on Monday.
The European Union joined in condemning the attacks on UN peacekeepers, dismissing Israeli claims that UNIFIL’s presence was obstructing military operations against Hezbollah.
Additionally, an Israeli airstrike on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza killed at least four people and left many others with severe burns, according to Palestinian medics.
Since the escalation of the conflict on October 7, 2023, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly 100,000 have been wounded in Israel’s military operations in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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