BEIRUT/ROME - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Wednesday a new violation by Israel against its position near the southeastern Lebanese village of Kafr Kila.

A UNIFIL statement said peacekeepers at a position near Kafr Kila observed a Merkava tank from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) firing at a UNIFIL watchtower, destroying two cameras and damaging a tower.

"We see direct and apparently deliberate fire again on a UNIFIL position," said the UN peacekeeping force.

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UNIFIL also reminded "the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property, and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times".

Meanwhile, sixteen countries of the European Union (EU) contributing troops to the UNIFIL have agreed to increase political and diplomatic pressure on Israel to avoid further incidents involving the mission.

This decision was reached after a videoconference led by Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu on Wednesday.

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The videoconference involved key EU nations, including Ireland, Germany, Spain, Austria, and Greece, among others.

These countries collectively condemned attacks on UNIFIL bases, which have endangered the safety of the mission's over 10,000 personnel coming from 48 countries, and urged Israel to take preventive measures to ensure no more such incidents occur.

The Italian defense ministry said in a statement that a key conclusion of the meeting was "the shared will to exert utmost political and diplomatic pressure on Israel, so that no further incidents occur". The statement also stressed that Hezbollah cannot use UNIFIL personnel as a shield in the context of the conflict.

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The call followed a series of IDF strikes on UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon since Oct 9, which resulted in injuries to several peacekeepers.

Although Israel had asked UNIFIL to withdraw its troops within 5 km of the Israeli-Lebanese border, which would mean leaving all UNIFIL positions in south Lebanon, all countries contributing to the mission declined.

The EU countries reiterated their commitment to maintaining a stable UNIFIL presence in the region and asserted that any changes to the mission's future should be decided collectively by the UN.  

Since Oct 8, 2023, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border amid concerns of a broader conflict, as the war between Hamas and Israel continues in the Gaza Strip.

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The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Wednesday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict last year reached 2,367, while injuries went up to 11,088.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on different areas in Lebanon on Oct 15 reached 17 while injuries stood at 182, the ministry added.

It noted that three people were killed and 92 others wounded in the south, nine were killed and 49 were injured in the Nabatieh governorate, while five people were killed and 26 injured in the Bekaa Valley.