The war is only beginning, and we will not stop
For the third consecutive day in October 2024, Israeli forces struck United Nations peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon, wounding Sri Lankan and Indonesian soldiers serving under Unifil and igniting a chorus of international condemnation. The attacks, occurring alongside a devastating bombardment of Beirut that killed 22 civilians, forced the world to confront a sobering question: whether the protections afforded by international humanitarian law still carry meaning when great powers look away. With neither Israel nor Hezbollah signaling any willingness to pause, the peacekeepers stationed between them have become unwilling symbols of an order straining under the weight of its own contradictions.
- Israeli forces struck UN peacekeeping bases in southern Lebanon three days in a row, wounding at least six soldiers — including Sri Lankans hit by gunfire and Indonesians struck by tank rounds — in attacks that international law is designed to prohibit.
- Italy, France, Spain, Russia, and China erupted in condemnation, with Italy's defense minister calling the strikes potential war crimes and the UN Secretary-General declaring them intolerable and unrepeatable, while President Biden pressed Israel to stop targeting peacekeepers.
- On the same day, an Israeli bombardment of Beirut killed 22 civilians and wounded 117 others, with Lebanon's interim prime minister calling it the deadliest single strike yet and describing the assault on the UN mission as a crime against the entire international community.
- Israel's military chief vowed to press on until northern Israeli residents could safely return home, while a Hezbollah official framed the conflict as only beginning — leaving UN peacekeepers trapped between two parties with no interest in stopping.
On October 11, 2024, Israeli forces struck UN peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon for the third straight day. Two Sri Lankan soldiers were hit by gunfire at Unifil's main base in Naqoura, while two Indonesian peacekeepers had been wounded hours earlier when Israeli forces breached a base perimeter and fired tank rounds. The Israeli military said it had warned Unifil personnel to take shelter beforehand — an explanation that found no takers among the international community.
Italy, home to one of the mission's largest contingents, was among the first to respond. Defense Minister Guido Crossetto called the attacks potential war crimes with no military justification, and made clear that neither Italy nor the UN would accept Israeli demands to evacuate. France, Spain, Russia, and China followed with their own condemnations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared the strikes a violation of international law, while President Biden said he was pressing Israel to stop targeting peacekeeping forces.
The strikes on Unifil unfolded against an already devastating backdrop. That same day, an Israeli bombardment of Beirut killed 22 people and wounded 117 others — what Lebanon's interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati described as the deadliest single attack yet, carried out entirely against civilians. He called the targeting of the UN mission a crime against the whole of the international community.
Yet nothing pointed toward de-escalation. Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, in a video reportedly filmed inside Lebanese territory, vowed to continue operations until northern Israeli residents could return home safely. A Hezbollah media official signaled the group saw the conflict as only beginning, leaving open the possibility of engaging international efforts while insisting on military victory. With both sides hardening their positions, the UN peacekeepers caught between them have become a measure of how far the conflict has already traveled from any recognizable boundary.
On Friday, October 11th, Israeli military forces struck United Nations peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon for the third consecutive day, wounding peacekeepers and drawing sharp condemnation from governments across the globe. Two Sri Lankan soldiers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as Unifil, were hit by gunfire directed at an observation tower at the mission's main base in Naqoura. Hours earlier, Israeli forces had breached the perimeter of another base and fired tank rounds that wounded two Indonesian peacekeepers—the latest in an escalating pattern of strikes against positions that international law explicitly protects.
The Israeli military acknowledged it was investigating the incidents but claimed it had warned Unifil personnel to take shelter beforehand. That explanation satisfied no one. Italy, which maintains one of the largest contingents in the peacekeeping mission, was among the first to respond. Defense Minister Guido Crossetto characterized the attacks as potential war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law, arguing there was no military justification for them. He made clear that neither the United Nations nor Italy would accept orders from Israel to evacuate.
The diplomatic backlash was swift and broad. France, Spain, Russia, and China all condemned the strikes. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the attacks a violation of international law and declared the incidents intolerable and unrepeatable. President Joe Biden, speaking from Washington, said he was pressing Israel to avoid striking UN peacekeeping forces while it conducted operations against Hezbollah. The message was clear: the world's major powers saw a line being crossed.
The broader context made the peacekeeping strikes even more fraught. On the same day, an Israeli bombardment of Beirut killed 22 people and wounded 117 others—a strike Lebanon's interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said consisted entirely of civilians and represented the deadliest single attack to date. Mikati went further, calling the targeting of the UN mission itself a crime against the entire international community.
Yet there were no signs of de-escalation. In a video released Friday and purportedly filmed in Lebanese territory the day before, Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stated he would not halt his campaign until residents of northern Israel could safely return home. On the other side, Mohammed Afif, a Hezbollah media official, signaled the organization viewed the conflict as only beginning. He said the group's priority remained military defeat of Israel, though he left open the possibility of accepting international efforts to stop what he called the aggression. The language from both sides suggested a conflict deepening rather than moving toward resolution, with UN peacekeepers caught in the middle.
Notable Quotes
The actions of Israel may constitute war crimes and are serious violations of international humanitarian law, unjustified by any military necessity— Italian Defense Minister Guido Crossetto
For us, the war is only at the beginning. Our priority is to defeat Israel militarily, but we are open to any efforts to stop the aggression— Hezbollah media official Mohammed Afif
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Israel strike positions that are explicitly protected under international law? What's the military logic?
The Israeli military says it warned them to shelter in place beforehand—suggesting they see the bases as potential cover for Hezbollah activity. But that explanation doesn't hold up legally or diplomatically. You can't just tell peacekeepers to hide and then fire on their positions.
So this is about the fog of war, or is it something else?
It's more deliberate than that. Three consecutive days of strikes on the same bases suggests pattern, not accident. And the fact that the military chief is on video saying he won't stop until northern Israelis return home—that's the real story. The peacekeepers are in the way of something larger.
What does Hezbollah want from all this?
They're saying the war is just beginning and they want to defeat Israel militarily. But they also said they're open to international efforts to stop it. That's diplomatic language. It means they're not ready to talk yet, but they're not saying never.
And the civilians in Beirut—22 dead in one strike?
That's what makes this moment so dangerous. You have peacekeepers being hit, civilians being killed in the hundreds, and both sides saying they're just getting started. There's no off-ramp visible right now.
Does Biden's pressure on Israel actually matter?
It matters symbolically—it shows the U.S. isn't giving Israel a blank check. But operationally? Israel is continuing its campaign. The real question is whether international pressure can slow things down before this becomes even worse.