Shooting followed by a traffic accident. One soldier was killed and 3 UNIFIL soldiers were injured in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media cited reports that one person was killed and a number injured by UNIFIL forces, after a dispute between people in south Lebanon and UNIFIL that included gunfire. .

UNIFIL forces took a different route from the normal route in the Al-Aqabiya area, which required the objection of the population of the region. The objection turned into an argument and a shooting.

While attempting to get away from the scene of the trouble, the patrol struck a citizen in the area, but was slightly injured.

Their vehicle was involved in an accident while trying to drive away from the problem site, which caused it to roll over, injuring 4 members.

For its part, UNIFIL has announced that it is coordinating with the Lebanese army to determine the circumstances surrounding the killing of the Irish soldier.

UNIFIL said: “The details of the killing of the Irish soldier in south Lebanon are few and far between.”

UNIFIL added that it “failed to identify the attackers of the convoy in southern Lebanon”.

The Irish Defense Forces said in a statement that an Irish soldier from the United Nations peacekeeping mission was killed in Lebanon on Wednesday when a convoy of two armored vehicles, carrying eight soldiers and heading towards Beirut, came under small arms fire.

The statement added that another member of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in critical condition after undergoing surgery following the incident, while two other soldiers are receiving treatment for minor injuries.

“We confirm with great sadness that one of our peacekeepers was killed in a major incident in Lebanon last night,” the Irish Defense Forces said.

Hezbollah denies its report

The official of Hezbollah’s Coordination and Liaison Unit denied any link between the party and the incident in an interview with Reuters.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the unfortunate incident “in the strongest possible terms”. He said he was “following with great interest, together with all the Lebanese authorities concerned and UNIFIL, the investigations he has launched in order to be able to hold those responsible accountable”.

The UNIFIL force has been present in Lebanon since 1978, comprises about ten thousand soldiers and is deployed in southern Lebanon to separate Israel and Lebanon after several conflicts.

On 31 August, the United Nations Security Council renewed its mandate for one year. His decision included an amendment relating to his movement on the grounds that he does not need “the prior permission or leave of anyone to carry out the duties assigned to him, and is authorized to conduct his operations independently.” .

This amendment has drawn criticism, particularly from Hezbollah, after the UNIFIL command coordinated its patrols and movements in its area of ​​deployment with the Lebanese army in recent years.

Following the criticism, the UNIFIL command in Lebanon confirmed that it works “closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces on a daily basis, and that hasn’t changed”.
In a speech delivered on September 17, Hezbollah’s secretary general warned UNIFIL that “if they want to get away from the Lebanese state and army involved in the movement in southern Litani, they are pushing things to a point that is not in their interest» .

This is the biggest incident in southern Lebanon in recent years, and comes amid two political and economic crises in Lebanon, whose parliament failed on Thursday for the tenth consecutive time to elect a president for the country.