Three UN military observers and interpreter injured by border shell explosion in Lebanon News
United Nations Interm Force In Lebanon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Three UN military observers and interpreter injured by border shell explosion in Lebanon

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) shared Saturday that three UN military observers and a Lebanese interpreter were injured during a foot patrol along the Blue Line when an explosion happened nearby.

The UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti’s statement, which was shared by the official X (formerly Twitter) account of UNFIL, stated:

This morning, three OGL (UNTSO) military observers and one Lebanese language assistant on a foot patrol along the Blue Line were injured when an explosion occurred near their location. They have now been evacuated for medical treatment. OGL (UNTSO) observers support UNIFIL in implementing our mandate. We are investigating the origin of the explosion. Safety and security of UN personnel must be guaranteed. All actors have a responsibility under international humanitarian law to ensure protection to non-combatants, including peacekeepers, journalists, medical personnel, and civilians. We repeat our call for all actors to cease the current heavy exchanges of fire before more people are unnecessarily hurt.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied any involvement. They shared a statement on their official X account, which states, “Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a UNIFIL vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning.”

In December 2023, UNIFIL reported an injury sustained by one of its peacekeepers during a patrol in southern Lebanon, where the peacekeeper was reportedly attacked by local male villagers. UNIFIL condemned the attack as a violation of Resolution 1701, aimed at stabilizing the region after the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. They urged Lebanese authorities to swiftly investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. There have also been several recent attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers, including one injured by Israeli gunfire in November and another injured amid clashes between Israeli and Hezbollah forces in October.

UNIFIL is a peacekeeping mission established by the United Nations Security Council in March 1978 to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. UNIFIL’s mandate includes assisting the Lebanese government in restoring its effective authority in the area, ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population.

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