IDF investigates claims it fired on UNIFIL; Hezbollah munition kills Thai worker in northern Israel

After another week of intense fighting in southern Lebanon, the IDF said its ground forces are advancing despite some losses, while the Israeli Air Force (IAF) continued hitting Hezbollah sites across Lebanon, with precise strikes targeting more top commanders of the terrorist group.

Israel is scrambling to deal with diplomatic fallout after the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, again claimed that two of its soldiers were wounded by IDF fire on Friday.

After a similar incident the day before, Italy had summoned its Israeli ambassador, while France and Ireland sharply criticized the Israeli army. So far, the IDF hasn’t released a detailed statement, noting that the incidents are still under review.

The IDF had urged UNIFIL forces to evacuate north when it began its ground incursion, and on Thursday, said it instructed the UN forces to take cover before opening fire on nearby Hezbollah terrorists.

The Israeli army is still keeping information about the location of its forces in southern Lebanon under tight military censorship. Most reports indicate that the troops haven't advanced far into Lebanese territory, instead focusing on the systematic dismantling of Hezbollah's infrastructure and weapons depots close to the Israeli border.

The IDF released detailed footage of the enormous amounts of weapons and equipment Hezbollah terrorists stockpiled in the villages of southern Lebanon, in preparation for an invasion into Israeli territory.

Several of the IDF’s top generals, including Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Northern Command OC Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin, as well as Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, held a situation assessment with field commanders in southern Lebanon.

On Thursday morning, the IDF announced the death of another soldier in battle, with another seriously wounded. While several other soldiers were lightly wounded in recent battles, the troops have not experienced a second mass-casualty event since the first days of the ground operation.

Hezbollah's rocket fire continued seemingly unabated over the past few days.

On Thursday, more than 40 rockets were launched in two barrages, along with several smaller volleys and drones, targeting areas across northern Israel."

On Friday morning, an explosion caused by an unexploded Hezbollah projectile killed a Thai foreign worker and wounded another in the community of Yir’on, close to the border.

From October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah started the war against Israel on the northern border, until October 1, 2024, when the Israeli ground maneuver in Lebanon began, #Hezbollah carried out 3,235 attacks against Israel on the northern border, accounting for the absolute majority… pic.twitter.com/VBnqAeusI2

— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) October 10, 2024

The IDF said it intercepted two drones, while the Haifa Bay area, including the city of Haifa and Acre, was targeted by a barrage of some 25 rockets.

The IAF continued its intense campaign of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure across Lebanon, as well as its military commanders and political officials.

On Thursday evening, a precision strike targeted – but reportedly missed – Wafiq Safa, Hezbollah’s chief of the Liaison and Coordination Unit, in an apartment building in central Beirut. Lebanese reports indicated that at least 22 people were killed, but security sources told Reuters that Safa was not among them.

Safa was the son-in-law of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. In 2006, he handled negotiations over an exchange of the bodies of three killed and captured IDF soldiers for several terrorists. Safa has also been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר, תקפו וחיסלו בהכוונת חטיבת האש של אוגדה 91, מפקד במערך הנ"ט של רדואן במרחב מיס אל ג'בל בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה, המחבל ע'ריב אלשג'אע שהיה אחראי על מתווי ירי נ"ט רבים לעבר מרחב רמות נפתלי>> pic.twitter.com/zpiQVE9ADQ

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 11, 2024

In another successful targeted strike, the IAF eliminated the commander of the Radwan Force’s anti-tank missile array in the Mais al-Jabal region. The commander had led hundreds of anti-tank missile attacks on northern Israel’s communities.

Earlier in the day, another airstrike killed Hezbollah’s Houla region commander, who was responsible for hundreds of rocket and anti-tank missile launches on Israel's community near the borer with Lebanon, Kiryat Shmona.