Lebanon – UNIFIL mourns one of its members and calls for accountability

In a press statement, the United Nations peacekeeping mission said that the incident occurred late last night, and the soldier who was injured was airlifted to a hospital in Beirut, where he died of his wounds. UNIFIL said that two other soldiers were also injured and received treatment at a medical facility at the UN mission’s base.

UNIFIL has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of this tragic incident, and called on “the competent national authorities to investigate the incident, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure their criminal accountability.”

It also renewed its call on all parties to fulfill their obligations under international law, and to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel and property at all times, including refraining from any actions that might expose peacekeeping forces to danger.

UNIFIL stressed the need to put an end to the violence, stressing that deliberate attacks on peacekeeping forces constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law andUN Security Council Resolution 1701“It may amount to war crimes.”

The mission extended its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the soldier who lost his life for the sake of peace, and wished a speedy and complete recovery for the two injured soldiers.