Lebanese politician says Israel deliberately targeted UNIFIL and army

Israel has turned south Lebanon into a mailbox for sending messages to U.N. chief Antonio Guterres through its recurrent targeting of UNIFIL posts in south Lebanon, a prominent Lebanese political source said.

“Israel’s targeting of UNIFIL wasn’t by mistake but rather deliberate, because through its repetitive attacks it is seeking to send two fiery messages,” the source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

“The first is for Guterres over his use of Article 99 which falls under his jurisdiction and the second is for the Lebanese Army through the targeting of its posts,” the source added.

More than 120 people have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border since October 7, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally.

Israel says six of its soldiers and four Israeli civilians have been killed in the area, and Lebanon lost its first soldier in the exchanges last Tuesday.

Several Lebanese soldiers and UNIFIL troops have also been wounded in the confrontations.