UNIFIL condemns killing of civilians, warns of escalation on Lebanon's southern border

Local residents stand by the wreckage of a car that was bombed by an Israeli drone in Ainatha, Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The potential for escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border is clear and must be stopped, said the spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Andrea Tenenti on Monday, slamming the killing of four civilians in southern Lebanon.

"We heard tragic reports about the killing of four civilians, including three girls and a woman, in the vicinity of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon," Tenenti said in a statement carried by the National News Agency (NNA).

Tenenti reiterated that attacks against civilians constitute a violation of international law and are considered "war crimes," calling for a cease-fire in southern Lebanon to "stop harming more people."

On Sunday, an Israeli drone attack hit a vehicle in the southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun, killing three children and their grandmother while injuring their mother.

Confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli border continued on Monday, with Israeli forces attacking the outskirts of Naqoura and targeting Jabal Blat and the outskirts of the southern town of Marwahin with artillery shells, killing two Hezbollah fighters, said the NNA report.

It raised the number of casualties among members of the Shiite military group to 66, it added.

For its part, Hezbollah announced that its fighters targeted Israeli sites in al-Malikiyah and Jal al-Deir with missiles and attacked the technical equipment at Israel's al-Rahib military site.

On the same day, some 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel, triggering Israeli artillery fire in response, Israel's military said in a statement. Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, saying 16 rockets were launched.

This photo taken on Nov. 6, 2023 shows the wreckage of a car that was bombed by an Israeli drone in Ainatha, Lebanon. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

A paramedic checks on the wreckage of a car that was bombed by an Israeli drone in south Lebanon's Ainatha, Nov. 6, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Paramedics check on the wreckage of a car that was bombed by an Israeli drone in Ainatha, Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

A relative of victims places flowers on a car that was bombed by an Israeli drone in Ainatha, Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)