Explosion in south Lebanon kills UNIFIL peacekeeper

The United Nations peacekeeping mission ⁠in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said a peacekeeper was killed when a projectile exploded at one of its ‌positions ⁠near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr.

Another peacekeeper was critically ‌injured, it said in ⁠a statement.

"We do not know ⁠the ‌origin of the projectile. We have launched an ⁠investigation to determine ⁠all of the circumstances," UNIFIL added.

UNIFIL said in a statement that "deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701, and may amount to war crimes".

The Irish UNIFIL area of responsibility ('The Irish AOR') includes the main urban centre in south Lebanon, Bint Jbeil.

Adchit al-Qusayr is about 25kms from Bint Jbeil.

A UN battalion led by Irish officers operates a large base called Camp Shamrock near Bint Jbeil and two outposts called UNP 6-50 and UNP 6-52, near the border towns of Maroun El-Ras and Yaroun

In August last year, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to end its peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon after nearly five decades, following pressure from the United States and Israel to wind down the force.

UNIFIL will remain in place under a final mandate until 31 December 2026.

The mission, established in 1978 and expanded after the 2006 war, has long acted as a buffer between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Blue Line.

UNIFIL is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel - an area that is at the heart of clashes between Israeli troops ‌and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

The mission has been sporadically caught in the crosshairs of both Israel and Hezbollah over the last couple of years.

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Recent incidents underscored the risks.

On 6 March, Ghana's armed forces said the headquarters of its UN peacekeeping ‌battalion in Lebanon was hit by missile attacks, leaving two soldiers critically injured.

Israel's military later acknowledged that its ⁠tank fire had hit a UN position in southern Lebanon that day, ‌wounding the Ghanaian peacekeepers.

The military said its troops had responded to ⁠anti-tank missile fire ‌from Hezbollah, which had moderately wounded two of its soldiers.

"Once again, we call on all actors to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of ⁠UN personnel and property at all times, including by refraining from actions that ⁠may put peacekeepers in danger," UNIFIL said.

Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on 2 March in solidarity with Tehran, two days after Iran was attacked by Israel and the United States.

Hezbollah's attack prompted a new Israeli offensive against the group.