Handover of second group of hostages delayed

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle was damaged after its patrol was hit by Israel Defense Forces gunfire, UNIFIL said Saturday. 

The patrol was hit around 12 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) in the area of Aytaroun, in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This incident occurred during a period of relative calm along the Blue Line,” it said, adding that no peacekeepers were injured. 

The force’s head of mission and force commander, Maj. Gen. Arolodo Lázaro Sáenz, on Friday urged those exchanging fire along the Blue Line to halt “this cycle of violence, strongly reminding everyone that any further escalation could have devastating consequences,” UNIFIL said. 

UNIFIL went on to say that it condemns “this act” and strongly reminded parties to the conflict “of their obligations to protect peacekeepers and avoid putting the men and women who are working to restore stability at risk.” 

The IDF told CNN Saturday that they are aware of the incident and are checking the report.  

Remember: Fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah is centered on northern Israel and southern Lebanon — separate from Israel’s fighting with Hamas further south, which is centered around Gaza.

But a steady uptick in clashes with Hezbollah since October 7 has raised fears that the powerful Lebanese group could actively participate in the conflict.

Hezbollah has voiced strong support for Palestinians and condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, but it has not intervened on behalf of Hamas so far. The group has linked its attacks on Israel to Israel’s targeting of Lebanese territory, and the fighting remains limited to this border region for now.