The incident occurred on Saturday morning local time unifil The team was clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghanduriyyah in order to re-establish contact with isolated UN locations.
The patrol came under small arms fire from non-state actors.
“Sadly, one peacekeeper was killed and three others were injured, two of whom are in serious condition,” UNIFIL said in a statement. statement.
The injured peacekeepers were taken to medical facilities for treatment.
UNIFIL expressed its condolences to the family and colleagues of the fallen peacekeeper and wished a full and speedy recovery to the injured.
UNIFIL condemns ‘deliberate attack’
The Mission condemned it as a “deliberate attack on peacekeepers engaged in their mandated tasks”, noting that explosive ordnance disposal work in the region is critical, especially following recent hostilities.
UNIFIL said it had launched an investigation into the incident, with initial assessments indicating that the fire was caused by non-state actors, “allegedly Hezbollah”.
The Mission reiterated that all actors are obliged under international law to ensure the protection of United Nations personnel and property at all times.
“Deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are a serious violation of international humanitarian law security council Resolution 1701, and may amount to a war crime,” the statement said.
UNIFIL also called on the Lebanese government to swiftly investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
