Israel’s latest ‘mistake’ in Lebanon is part of a deadly, decades-long pattern of immunity

An internal United Nations investigation found Israeli tank fire hit a UN base in South Lebanon on Wednesday 6 March 2026. The strike was carried out on the al-Qawzah base and wounded three Ghanaian peacekeepers. The Initial conclusions by the UN force commander reserve showed that an Israeli battle tank fired three 120mm M339 shells at the base within a five minute window. This precise timing indicates repeated, targeted fire rather than a single stray round. Shocker.

The Israeli Defence Force issued an apology on Wednesday 18 March 2026. They claimed soldiers mistakenly attacked the peacekeepers as a response to Hezbollah anti-tank missile fire that had moderately wounded two Israeli soldiers moments earlier. This apology follows a similar script used by the IDF whenever it hits international assets.

Israel just bombed a UNIFIL position in Al Qouzah, South Lebanon. Casualties among UN peacekeepers. Since 1987, 20 UN peacekeepers in Lebanon from different nationalities were killed by Israel and many more injured. The world would’ve acted differently if it was Iran doing it pic.twitter.com/kOGjZhNRd5

— Hadi (@HadiNasrallah) March 6, 2026

A predictable pattern of fuck-ups

Let’s be honest, it’s very fucking rare the international community ever holds Israel accountable for these mistakes. If any other country had repeatedly shelled UN peacekeepers, the global outcry would be cataclysmic. Yet for Israel, it is simply another day of shitting on international law.

This is not an isolated incident. The IDF has a long and bloody history of attacking United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) assets:

• October 2024: Israeli forces fired at a UNIFIL watchtower in Naqoura, injuring two peacekeepers.
• July 2006: An airstrike killed four UN workers at a clearly marked outpost in Khiam.
• April 1996: IDF shelled a UN post in Qana, killing over 100 innocent civilians seeking refuge.
• January 1987: An Israeli tank squad opened fire on a village command post, killing an Irish peacekeeper.

If any other country had dared to attack a UN outpost, even by accident, the sanctions would be fucking wild. Under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, such actions would typically be met with arms embargoes or even authorised military intervention to restore security. But the colonisers’ arm in the Middle East gets nothing but a raised eyebrow.

Deadly conflict for the UN, and UK complicity

Whilst Lebanon remains a flashpoint for the UN, the situation in Gaza is even more catastrophic. The current war is the deadliest conflict in UN history for its staff.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports that 391 staff members have been killed in Gaza since Oct 2023. Further to this, 403 school buildings, many used as UN shelters, have been directly attacked or damaged.

Despite these huge numbers, the UK, US and other allies continue to send Israel the weapons they are using in these attacks. The 120-mm shells used in the al-Qawzah strike are manufactured by Israel Military Industries, an offshoot of Elbit Systems. These shells are usually assembled in Israel, but Elbit has a massive manufacturing footprint in the UK.

Activists from People Against Genocide blockaded Chubb in London after it began insuring Elbit Systems’ UAV Engines factory, providing the required coverage for the Israeli drone manufacturer to operate in the UK pic.twitter.com/pXTUqszqKE

— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) February 18, 2026

Activists have been screaming about Elbit Systems for years, highlighting how the UK-based subsidiaries support the Israeli military. Despite Elbit claiming they do not supply the IDF directly, shipping documents revealed that UK firms exported hundreds of ammunition containers to IMI factories in Israel between 2023–2025.

So, we’re fucking complicit.

Total impunity in South Lebanon

UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel called the attacked a “grievous violation” of international law. These warnings, however, carry very little weight when the IDF currently occupies five strategic outposts within Lebanese territories.

Preliminary UN findings indicated the strikes were deliberate, stating the base’s coordinates were well known to all parties in the area.

The IDF claims it has ‘disseminated’ the findings of it’s investigation to prevent a reoccurrence, yet with over 900 people killed in Lebanon since Monday 2 March 2026, the violence only seems to be intensifying.

How many more “accidents” must the UN endure before the world stops treating Israeli war crimes as unfortunate mistakes?

Featured image supplied via author