Israeli Tanks Enter UN Base in Lebanon, Sparking Controversy

On Sunday morning, Israeli tanks barged into a United Nations peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon, causing quite a stir. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) reported that two Israeli Merkava tanks smashed through the main gate of the base. After the tanks left, nearby shells exploded, releasing smoke that made some UN personnel fall ill. Fifteen of them needed treatment despite wearing gas masks. The Israeli military, however, had a different story. They claimed that militants from the Iran-backed group Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at their troops. This attack was close to a Unifil post, and a tank helping to evacuate the wounded under fire accidentally backed into the Unifil post. The military insisted that they were not trying to enter the base, but merely seeking safety from the attack.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for the UN to remove its forces from the area. He argued that the presence of UN peacekeepers gives Hezbollah an unfair advantage. Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a drone attack on a military base near the Israeli city of Binyamina, killing four soldiers and injuring 67 others. The U. S. also announced plans to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) battery and troops to Israel to bolster its air defenses. This move came shortly after Iran warned the U. S. to keep its military forces out of Israel. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been ongoing for over a year. It escalated sharply in recent weeks, with Israel's assaults leaving 1. 2 million Lebanese people displaced and many casualties on both sides. The Middle East remains tense, with Israel threatening to retaliate against Iran for a recent missile attack.