IDF says it mistakenly fired on UN soldiers in Lebanon due to bad weather, continues striking Hezbollah targets

Tensions on the Lebanese border continued to simmer over the past days, as the Israel Defense Forces struck several Hezbollah targets amid the group’s attempts to rearm, but also mistakenly fired on U.N. peacekeepers near the border.

The IDF said Sunday that its troops identified two suspects in the El Hamames area in southern Lebanon and fired warning shots at them.

“The suspects distanced themselves. No injuries were reported. After a review, it was determined that the suspects were UN soldiers who were conducting a patrol in the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions,” the military said, adding it was still examining the incident.

“The IDF emphasizes that no deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers, and the matter is being handled through official military liaison channels.”

The incident came two weeks after UNIFIL soldiers shot down an Israeli drone, claiming it flew over its patrol “in an aggressive manner.”

UNIFIL and the Lebanese government have claimed to do everything in their power to fulfill the terms of the ceasefire with Israel, particularly to combat Hezbollah’s activities in the region.

However, Israel has maintained that the terror group has been working to rehabilitate itself since the ceasefire began and has been rearming faster than the actions of the Lebanese Armed Forces have managed to degrade it.

Therefore, the IDF has conducted hundreds of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets over the past months, further intensifying these operations in the past weeks.

On Sunday, the military said it killed Muhammad Ali Shuweikh, a Hezbollah terrorist who served as the group’s local representative in the Mansouri area. Shuweikh was responsible for communicating with local residents regarding financial and military subjects, and “operated to seize private assets for terror use,” the IDF said.

Israeli troops have also conducted raids on the ground to curb Hezbollah’s activities. Last week, troops dismantled several structures used by Hezbollah in the area of Aitaroun, has already identified to restore them since then.

In the village of Ramyeh, Israeli soldiers located and dismantled rifles, Kalashnikov-type guns, magazines, and ammunition.

Ground troops also directed precise air strikes at five terrorist targets, killing three terrorists.

In Lebanon, the Hezbollah ally and Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, claimed that Lebanon – unlike Israel– has fully committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement.

He denied Lebanese news reports that the terror group was smuggling weapons into the country via the sea, the air, and overland.

Berri is set to meet with the incoming U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, this week.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government argues that its military is fulfilling its obligations and is effectively countering Hezbollah’s rebuilding of capabilities.

Elias Bou Saab, Berri’s deputy and ally of President Joseph Aoun, claimed that the Lebanese army is carrying out extensive operations in southern Lebanon to curb Hezbollah’s presence there.

Speaking to Al Arabiya, Bou Saab claimed that “wherever information arrives that weapons have entered or ammunition has been transferred, the Lebanese Army raids the location and seizes the weapons and ammunition.”

Information Minister Paul Morcos told the Emirati channel Al-Mashhad that the army is deployed nearly everywhere in southern Lebanon, claiming that only Israeli strikes are preventing it from completing the deployment.

“Although the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese government continue this effort by whatever means they can, their capabilities are very limited because the army urgently needs equipment and logistical support,” he added.