UNITED NATIONS, April 13. /TASS/. Israeli troops in a Merkava tank twice rammed vehicles belonging to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the peacekeeping organization's press service reported.

"On two occasions today [April 12], Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers rammed UNIFIL vehicles with a Merkava tank, in one case causing significant damage. The soldiers had blocked a road in Bayada that is used to access UNIFIL positions," the statement reads.

According to UNIFIL, Israeli troops also blocked access to one of the roads leading to the peacekeepers' positions. Furthermore, over the past week, the military fired several "warning shots" at peacekeepers’ positions, also damaging equipment. The UN claims the vehicles were "clearly identifiable." In one incident, a munition landed "a meter away" from one of the peacekeepers.

According to a UNIFIL statement, in recent days, Israeli forces have blocked the movement of peacekeepers several times, "destroyed force protection cameras in UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters, and they also spray-painted the windows of the headquarters’ pedestrian access gate, denying visibility to the external perimeter." The UN emphasized that the IDF actions violate Security Council resolutions and are contrary to Israel’s obligations to ensure the safety of peacekeepers.

Earlier, following a preliminary investigation, UNIFIL Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated that Israeli forces may have been involved in an incident involving the death of an Indonesian peacekeeper serving with UNIFIL in late March.

Following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1978, a peacekeeping mission was established in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution. Its mandate is renewed every six months. UNIFIL comprises approximately 7,500 personnel from 47 countries. Russian peacekeepers do not participate in the mission.