(MENAFN) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed deep concern over the "increased frequency" of attacks affecting UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

"I can tell you that the Secretary-General is indeed deeply concerned by the increased frequency of incidents impacting the safety and security of our peacekeepers in Lebanon," said Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, noting that an Israeli tank fired on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

Referring to the UN force, known as UNIFIL, Dujarric said it had requested that the Israeli military "stop the firing immediately," adding that "no UNIFIL personnel were injured" so far.

Guterres has reminded "all parties of their obligations to ensure the protection of UN personnel and property," Dujarric said, emphasizing that "peacekeepers must never be targeted by attacks."

UNIFIL said the incident, near a position established by Israel inside Lebanese territory, is a "serious violation" of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in August 2006 to halt hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and to establish a weapons-free zone between the Litani River and the UN-mapped "Blue Line" separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Tensions have risen in southern Lebanon amid near-daily Israeli air raids targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure. The Israeli army has killed over 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in attacks on Lebanon that began in October 2023 and escalated into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.

Under a ceasefire declared in November 2024, Israeli forces were meant to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January, but they only partially pulled back and maintain a presence at five border outposts.

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