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Israel intentionally shelled UN troops in Lebanon: Report

Spanish UN peacekeepers drive an armored emergency vehicle after picking up the body of a 36-year-old Spanish UN soldier who was killed as Israel shelled border areas in the Lebanese village of Abbassiyeh, January 28, 2015. (AFP Photo)

A new report has revealed that Israel forces intentionally shelled a United Nations watchtower in southern Lebanon, which left a Spanish peacekeeper dead back in January.

The El Pais newspaper article published on Sunday cited extracts from a confidential Spanish military report on the incident, saying the Israeli forces corrected the trajectory of the artillery fire to hit the UN post. Thirty-six-year-old corporal Javier Soria Toledo was killed in the attack.

According to the report, Corporal Ivan Lopez Sanchez, a Spanish soldier stationed near the post, told investigators it was clear that the UN position was being targeted, noting, "Every time, they corrected the trajectory from Majidiye to the 4-28" post, where the United Nations Interim Force Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers were stationed.

A second Spanish solider confirmed Sanchez’s report, saying the first salvo of shells landed some 500 meters north of the UN post and then Israel "corrected the trajectory towards the position."  

A third solider added that the fragmentation bombs used in the attack targeted the post’s main watchtower.

Troops from the Spanish United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) prepare their equipment before being dispatched to monitor the border between Lebanon and Israel near the Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on April 30, 2012. (AFP Photo)

The newspaper also quoted a UN report as saying that around 20 artillery shells, 90 mortar grenades and five projectiles were fired at the UN post during the attack.

Spain and Israel have agreed to carry out a joint investigation into the incident.

The UNIFIL has some 10,000-troops, from 36 nations, which include some 600 Spanish soldiers.

SRK/NT/AS

 


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