Israeli tanks opened fire on a patrol of Spanish peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

Three IDF (Israel Defense Forces) tanks opened fire on a patrol of Spanish peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission. This was reported on January 13 by the newspaper El Pais, citing a statement from the Spanish General Staff.

"Israeli Defense Forces combat vehicles <...> opened fire on a patrol of Spanish Blue Helmets (UN military personnel. — Ed.), deployed in southern Lebanon as part of the United Nations UNIFIL mission," the publication says.

According to the newspaper, the incident occurred on January 12, when a patrol of the Spanish Battalion (SPANBATT) under the command of a general moved out of the city of El Khiam to monitor Israeli tanks that had left their bases in the buffer zone to take up combat positions.

It is noted that Israeli tanks fired three shots in the direction of the patrol of peacekeepers, and the Spanish soldiers were forced to retreat to a safe zone. The article emphasizes that none of the peacekeepers were injured in the incident, and the Israeli tanks returned to their rear base.

The General Staff also warned that any hostile actions against the peacekeepers constitute a serious violation of the UN Security Council resolution and pose a threat to their safety.

Shortage of vests: UN reduces mission in Lebanon by 25% amid Israeli strikes

How is the situation on the border a year after the truce?

In December 2025, the United Nations reported that UNIFIL peacekeepers were shelled by the IDF twice a day. It was clarified that in another incident that occurred in the village of Kfar Shuba, a patrol of peacekeepers who were carrying out a routine operational task also reported machine-gun fire from Israel in the immediate vicinity of their position.

Prior to that, it was reported that the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon had begun the process of reducing its staff by about 25% due to a reduction in the budget of the world organization. In addition, in 2025, the peacekeepers did not record any military activity on the part of the Hezbollah movement in the mission's area of responsibility — between the Litani River and the Blue Line (the temporary line of demarcation between Israel and Lebanon, established by the UN decision).

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