Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, October 13, called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to put the peacekeepers of the United Nations Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) “take shelter immediately”. “We have to do it right away, immediately”added the Israeli leader during a filmed speech. A statement condemned by the Lebanese Prime Minister, who denounces “a new refusal” from Israel “to comply with international law”. At least five peacekeepers have been injured in recent days during fighting between Israeli forces and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon. Follow our live stream.
Iran says it is “totally ready to face a war situation”. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was “totally ready to face a war situation”. “We are not afraid of war, but we do not want it, we want peace and we will work for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon”he said during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein.
Injured rescuers. The Red Cross reports that several of its rescuers were injured in a strike on a house in southern Lebanon where they had been dispatched “in coordination” with the UN mission which acts as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah fighter captured in Lebanon. The Israeli army claimed to have captured a Hezbollah fighter in a tunnel in southern Lebanon. This is the first such announcement since the launch of a cross-border ground offensive on September 30.
Clashes on the ground. Hezbollah says it has repelled two Israeli infiltration attempts. Lebanese movement fighters detonated explosive devices against Israeli soldiers and “faced them as they attempted to infiltrate” near the Lebanese village of Ramia, in southern Lebanon, the Shiite militia said, citing clashes which lasted about an hour.