Four Ghanaian UN peacekeepers wounded in rocket strike in Lebanon

The United Nations said four Ghanaian peacekeepers were wounded in the Ramyeh area of southern Lebanon on Tuesday when a rocket struck their base.

UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, said peacekeepers and its facilities were targeted in three separate incidents on the same day.

Another peacekeeping base was damaged by rocket fire in the southern village of Shama, where heavy fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army has been taking place.

In another attack, an armed person “directly fired” at a UNIFIL patrol near Khirbat Silim, but there were no injuries.

"I remain concerned about the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces," UN Peacekeeping Chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said.

"If military activities are carried out in the vicinity of a UN position, then that is putting U.N. peacekeepers in danger. That is putting them at risk. And this is what we impress upon all parties,” he said.

Lacroix reminded all parties of their obligation to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property.

“That would also include not carrying out those military activities in the very close proximity of the U.N. position."

UNIFIL added that it launched investigations into each of the violent episodes and informed the Lebanese army about them.

The incidents come a day after an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon's capital, Beirut, which hit  an area in the heart of the city near the UN headquarters, parliament, and several embassies.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least five people were killed and 31 wounded in the attack.

Since late September, Israel has dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple the militant group Hezbollah and end its barrages into Israel.

Meanwhile, United States envoy, Amos Hochstein, on a visit to Beirut described Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire talks with top Lebanese officials on Tuesday as "constructive".

“I am committed to do everything that I can to work with the government here in Lebanon and Israel to bring this conflict to a close,” he said.

Hochstein arrived a day after the Lebanese militant group reportedly gave a positive response to a US draft proposal to end the war, which has been going on for more than 13 months.

Washington has been working on a proposal to end hostilities that would remove Israeli ground forces from Lebanon and push Hezbollah forces away from the Israeli border.

More Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would be sent to the buffer zone in southern Lebanon as part of the deal.

Hochstein said he hopes a resolution will be reached in the coming days.