Two Israeli Merkava tanks breached the gates of a United Nations peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon, according to a statement from the UNIFIL mission. The tanks reportedly forced their way inside the base. Shortly after their departure, nearby explosions rocked the area, with shells landing approximately 100 meters from the base, causing smoke to spread, which affected U.N. personnel stationed there.
The Israeli military provided a different account of the incident, stating that 25 of its soldiers were wounded in an attack by Hezbollah. According to Israeli reports, anti-tank rockets were fired at the troops near a UNIFIL position. As one tank was involved in the evacuation of the wounded under heavy fire, it inadvertently backed into the UN base.
"This was not an assault on a U.N. base or an intentional breach," clarified Israeli military foreign spokesperson Nadav Shoshani. "It was a tank under heavy fire, attempting to evacuate casualties and moving into the area by mistake."
The Israeli military added that it used a smoke screen to cover the evacuation of its soldiers and emphasized that at no point was the UN peacekeeping force in direct danger from their actions.
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