Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Following the United Nations condemnation of the firing of missiles from Lebanon at Israel, UNIFIL forces in Lebanon issued a statement in which they said: "Early this morning, the Israeli army informed UNIFIL that it would begin its artillery response to yesterday's rocket fire, and immediately after that, UNIFIL personnel heard explosions." in the vicinity of Tire.
The statement stated: The head of the UNIFIL mission and its Commander-in-Chief, Major General Aroldo Lazzaro, are in contact with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line, and our communication and coordination mechanisms are fully engaged in order to calm the situation. Both sides said they did not want war.
The statement added: "The actions taken during the past day are dangerous and warn of a dangerous escalation, and it urges all parties to stop all acts of escalation across the Blue Line now."
More than 30 missiles were fired from southern Lebanon at northern Israel, on Thursday afternoon, in an attack that was not claimed by any party. Tensions rose dramatically on Thursday night, with Israel launching air strikes on areas in southern Lebanon and Gaza.
The Palestinian factions responded by firing a barrage of rockets at southern Israel.
The United Nations condemned the firing of rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel on Thursday, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint. According to a statement in the United Nations news bulletin, a copy of which we received via e-mail
It also stated, "The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is still communicating with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line.
In his press conference yesterday, Dujarric urged the parties to communicate with the UN peacekeepers and avoid any unilateral action that could lead to an escalation of the situation.
In a tweet, the UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Lebanon towards Israel - the largest since 2006 - which resulted in casualties.
Special Coordinator Tor Wiensland confirmed the rejection of these actions and stressed the need to stop them and avoid further escalation.
He said that the United Nations continues to communicate with the concerned parties to de-escalate the situation immediately.