An Irish UN peacekeeper was killed and several others wounded after unidentified attackers opened fire on a convoy in southern Lebanon, Irish and Lebanese military officials said on Thursday.
The Irish Defense Forces said in a statement that a pair of armored vehicles carrying eight Irish UNIFIL peacekeeping troops came under fire as they headed north towards Beirut on Wednesday night from the al-Aqbiya city.
The Irish Army identified the slain peacekeeper as Pvt. Seán Rooney of Newtwoncunningham. He noted that one of the three wounded soldiers was in serious condition. He did not identify the attackers.
UNIFIL confirmed that one peacekeeper was killed and three wounded, but did not share further details.
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“Our thoughts are also with the local civilians who may have been injured or frightened during the incident,” said Andrea Tenenti, a UNIFIL spokesman, adding that “details are scant and conflicting.” Tenenti added that UNIFIL is coordinating with the Lebanese army and trying to “determine exactly what happened.”
A person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said the armored vehicle carrying the peacekeepers overturned as it tried to escape the scene after locals began shooting. .
A damaged United Nations peacekeeping vehicle is pictured at the scene where a United Nations peacekeeping convoy was attacked in the village of Al-Aqbiya in southern Lebanon on December 15, 2022.
(AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Local residents became angry and aggressive when two UNIFIL armored vehicles, headed for Beirut airport, diverted through Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the UNIFIL-mandated area, the person said. .
It is not yet clear if the victim died from gunshots or from injuries sustained in the accident, the person added.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, while the office of Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement calling for an investigation.
Mikati “praised the sacrifices UNIFIL forces made to maintain peace in the south, which reflects stability for the people of the region and Lebanon in general,” the testimonials said.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin expressed his condolences in a statement on Twitter.
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“It is a reminder that our peacekeepers serve in dangerous circumstances, at all times, in the cause of peace,” he said.
Cell phone videos circulating online show one of two UNIFIL vehicles rushing out of the area while being shot at. Some residents were visible filming the incident. Another video showed the vehicle had rolled over after crashing into the aluminum shutters of a building, with an injured peacekeeper lying on the ground next to it.
Al-Manar TV, run by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, claimed that a UNIFIL vehicle had “run over” a group of residents who had gathered to watch the World Cup semi-final match between Morocco and France. A Hezbollah spokesman contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment on the peacekeeper’s death “until we have all the facts.”
Fights between residents of southern Lebanon and UNIFIL troops are not uncommon. In January, unknown perpetrators attacked Irish peacekeepers in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, vandalizing their vehicles and stealing items. The residents accused them of taking pictures of residential houses, although the UN mission denied this.
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UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon following the 1978 invasion. The UN expanded its mission after the 2006 war between Israel and the Hezbollah group, allowing peacekeeping forces to deployed along the Lebanon-Israel border to help the Lebanese army extend its authority to the south of the country for the first time in decades.
That resolution also called for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which has not happened.
