Hezbollah calls attack that killed one UNFIL member unintentional

An Irish member of the U.N. peacekeeping force monitoring south Lebanon near the Israeli border was killed and three wounded after their convoy came under fire, U.N. and Irish sources said Thursday.

The peacekeeper died from a bullet to the head when seven gunshots pierced the UNIFIL vehicle, a Lebanese judicial source told AFP.

Three other peacekeepers in the same vehicle were injured when it hit a pylon and overturned late Wednesday night in the southern village of al-Aqbiyeh, the source said.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he was “deeply shocked and very saddened” by the loss of life. 

“A convoy of two armored utility vehicles carrying eight personnel travelling to Beirut came under small arms fire” late Wednesday, the Irish military said.

“Four personnel were taken to Raee Hospital, near Sidon as a result of the (2115 GMT) incident,” the military said. 

“One soldier was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital and another has undergone surgery and is in a serious condition. The other two soldiers are being treated for minor injuries.”

U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL said the “incident” happened near the village of Al-Aqbiya, just outside the force’s area of operations in a strip along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

Witnesses told AFP the vehicle had been blocked by villagers after it took a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by the U.N. force.

They said they had heard gunfire and the driver had appeared to lose control of the vehicle as the convoy attempted to leave the area.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney expressed “profound sadness and a deep sense of shock” over the peacekeeper’s death.

– Mandate dispute –

UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack.

Now boasting nearly 10,000 troops, the U.N. force acts as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, which remain technically at war.

Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000 but fought a devastating 2006 war with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and its allies.

UNIFIL was beefed up to oversee the ceasefire that ended that war.

Over the years there have been a number of incidents between Hezbollah supporters and the U.N. force in border areas loyal to the Iran-backed group.

During the annual renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate by the U.N. Security Council at the end of August, its terms of deployment were slightly altered.

To the anger of Hezbollah, the new wording states that the force “is allowed to conduct its operations independently.”

Previously, peacekeepers had routinely coordinated their patrols and other movements inside the area of operations with the Lebanese army.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned the changed rules as “a violation of Lebanese sovereignty” that served Israel’s interests.

Hezbollah is the only one of Lebanon’s armed group that was allowed to keep its weaponry after the 1975-91 civil war.

It insists that its arsenal remains necessary for defense against its arch foe Israel.

Hezbollah : attack unintentional

Hezbollah security officer Wafiq Safa admitted the attack took place but told LBCI that the incident was unintentional,

He told LBCI :

“An Irish UNIFIL vehicle had taken a road not normally used by the U.N. force,” adding that another vehicle that had taken the international highway that the UNIFIL vehicles usually take was not attacked.

Mikati condemns the attack on UNIFIL

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Thursday the attack on a UNIFIL in southern Lebanon.

Mikati expressed his “deep regret” over the killing of an Irish UNIFIL member and the injury of three others near the village of Al-Aqbiya in south Lebanon after their convoy came under fire.

Mikati called the attack a “painful incident” and underlined the “need to carry out the necessary inquiries to determine its circumstances and prevent its repetition”.

U.N peacekeeping force UNIFIL said it had opened an investigation.

Witnesses said they had heard gunfire and the driver had appeared to lose control of the vehicle as the convoy attempted to leave the area.

“Our thoughts are also with the local civilians who may have been injured or frightened during the incident,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said, adding that “details are sparse and conflicting.” Tenenti added that UNIFIL is coordinating with the military and trying to “determine exactly what happened.”

Mikati praised “the sacrifices that UNIFIL forces made to maintain peace in the south, which reflects stability for the people of the region and Lebanon in general.” 

US embassy condemns the attack calls it “unacceptable”

The US Embassy in Beirut expressed its condemnation “in the strongest terms of the violent attack on UNIFIL peacekeepers, which caused the death of an Irish soldier and three wounded,” stressing that “violence against peacekeepers is unacceptable and endangers Lebanese civilians and stability in the south.” Lebanon at risk.

It called on “the Lebanese government to urgently investigate this attack and hold its perpetrators accountable, and to prevent such attacks from occurring in the future,” stressing that “we continue to urge the Lebanese government to facilitate full cooperation with UNIFIL, including facilitating UNIFIL’s movements within and outside its area of operations, With or without the escort of the Lebanese security services, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701.

AFP/ AP/ Reuters /YL