Sri Lankan Peacekeepers Injured In Lebanon; Israel Says Looking Into It

Colombo (News1st) - The Israeli Foreign Ministry says it is concerned over the injury of two Sri Lankan Peacekeepers in South Lebanon, said Sri Lanka's Diplomatic Mission in Israel.

Ambassador Hagai Dikan, Deputy Director General of the Asia Pacific Division at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has expressed concern regarding the recent injury of two Sri Lankan peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon.

Ambassador Dikan emphasized that the Israeli government is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident and will provide further information as it becomes available, said the Sri Lankan Embassy in a statement.

Two Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Lebanon were injured after an Israeli airstrike targeted a village in Naqoura.

The Military Spokesperson speaking to News 1st said that following the airstrike, the Sri Lankan peacekeepers suffered very minor injuries. He stressed that the UN command center was NOT the target of the airstrike, and the target was in fact a nearby village.

"Israeli enemy forces on Friday launched an artillery shell targeting the main entrance of the UNIFIL command center in Naqoura, resulting in damage at the site. Additionally, an Israeli Merkava tank targeted one of the UNIFIL towers along the main road connecting Tyre and Naqoura, in front of a Lebanese Army checkpoint, injuring soldiers from the Sri Lankan contingent," reported the National News Agency of Lebanon.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said that UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters was affected by explosions for the second time in the last 48 hours.

Two peacekeepers were injured after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower. One injured peacekeeper was taken to a hospital in Tyre, while the second is being treated in Naqoura.

On Friday (11) several T-walls at the UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF caterpillar hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position. Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a UNIFIL Quick Reaction Force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position.

These incidents put again UN peacekeepers, who are serving in south Lebanon at the request of the Security Council under resolution 1701 (2006), at very serious risks.

This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times. Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).