The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Monday called on Lebanon and Israel to avoid further escalation on the borders following firing rockets against each other early in the day.
Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, chief of UNIFIL, expressed his concern about the “disproportionate response between the two countries,” a statement by the UNIFIL reported.
The statement came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted different sites in Lebanon in retaliation to a rocket fired early Monday from Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre.
Saenz was in immediate contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line to urge restraint. Once the shelling ended, UNIFIL began an investigation to determine the facts, the statement added.
The UN peacekeepers are also working with the Lebanese Armed Forces to strengthen security throughout the UNIFIL’s area of operations and reduce the risk of further provocative acts. ■
