From Emmanuel Macron to Joe Biden, western leaders issued condemnations on Friday, October 11, after Israeli fire struck the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday and Friday, wounding four peacekeepers. The French president said it was "totally unacceptable" that UN troops were "deliberately targeted by Israeli armed forces." Speaking from Cyprus, where he was attending a summit of leaders of European Union countries on the Mediterranean, the president warned that France "will not tolerate" further fire. Earlier that day, Israel's ambassador to Paris was summoned to the French Foreign Ministry.

"We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our praise for the continued and indispensable commitment of UNIFIL troops/personnel in this very challenging context," said France, Italy and Spain, in a joint statement issued later in the evening. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the firing as "a violation of international humanitarian law." Biden has added his voice to these criticisms. When asked if he was asking Israel to stop striking UN peacekeepers, the American president replied: "Absolutely, positively." From Cyprus, the French president also reiterated his call to "stop the export of arms" used in Gaza and Lebanon. Macron declared that this was "the only lever" for ending the conflicts, all while insisting that this did not mean "disarming" Israel.

Later in the day, UNIFIL reported that its headquarters in Naqoura had been "affected by explosions for the second time in the last 48 hours" in which "two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were injured," after two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured on Thursday. It denounced the "very serious risks" the Israeli army has put the peacekeepers under.

The UN force comprises 10,000 peacekeepers of 40 different nationalities, of which 900 are Italian and 700 French. At the start of the offensive launched by Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the G7 leaders had decided to keep the UN force on site, although they feared that such strikes might occur. "We can't let it go. On the ground, the pressure continues, despite the international community's reminders," said a French diplomatic source.

In response to the outcry, Israel announced that it was opening an investigation. The Israeli army, claiming the peacekeepers were"inadvertently hurt," claimed to have fired at an "immediate threat" close to the UNIFIL post. On Friday, however, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, fought back the international community's condemnations.

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