UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have reported the sharpest escalation in military activity between Israel and Hezbollah since late June, when a U.S.-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was signed, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded 113 projectiles fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday, the highest daily figure observed since June 21. UNIFIL did not detect any projectile launches by Hezbollah during the same period, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
This escalation continued on Thursday. Between midnight and 4 p.m. local time, UNIFIL recorded 120 projectiles fired by the IDF, already exceeding Wednesday's full-day figure and marking the highest number observed in a single day since June 21, said Haq.
UNIFIL also recorded significant aerial activity. On Wednesday, peacekeepers recorded 49 airspace violations, with a cumulative overflight time exceeding 131 hours, the highest level since June 23. They also observed three airstrikes northwest of Al Mansuri, said the spokesperson.
Between midnight and 4 p.m. on Thursday, peacekeepers recorded a further 29 airspace violations and at least three airstrikes in the vicinity of Al Mansuri, he said.
At sea, on Monday, UNIFIL observed IDF patrol boats crossing the Line of Buoys into Lebanese territorial waters before returning south, said Haq. ■
