The UN mission declined to give further details on the incident but declared that it is looking into it.
Three peacekeepers officers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured in an explosion near their marked vehicle in the southern city of Yarine, in Lebanon, the United Nations mission reported on Sunday.
Following the incident, UNIFIL announced in a statement that “all peacekeepers in the patrol returned safely to their base.”
The UN mission declined to give further details on the incident but declared that it is looking into it.
“We are strongly reminding all parties and actors of their responsibility to avoid harm to peacekeepers and civilians,” the statement read.
Three UN peacekeepers were injured in southern Lebanon after an “explosion” near their vehicle, says UNIFIL.
Lebanese media have blamed the blast on an Israeli air attack.
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This is not the first time UN peacekeepers have been targeted in southern Lebanon.
In early March, a UNIFIL patrol came under Israeli fire while traveling with a Lebanese army unit in the vicinity of Aita Al-Shaab.
UNIFIL was established by the UN Security Council in 1978 with Resolutions 425 and 426 after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
Following the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, the Security Council enhanced UNIFIL’s mandate granted to them under the latter resolutions. The extended mandate included monitoring the cessation of hostilities and accompanying and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as they deploy throughout the south of Lebanon.
Heightened Tensions
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.
In recent weeks, however, the intensity of the fighting has increased, leading to concerns that an all-out war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army is imminent.
A False Alarm? – Hezbollah Drone May Have Captured Footage of Netanyahu’s Residence
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership.
Israel attempted to re-occupy Lebanon in 2006 but failed in what Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel.
(Anadolu, PC)
If the UN Security Council was doing its job, as opposed to bludging off the taxpayers, it would have air defense units in Southern Lebanon, and Southern Lebanon would be a No-Fly Zone for the Israel Air Force.