UN probe says Israeli tank, Hezbollah device likely killed peacekeepers

A pair of deadly attacks in southern Lebanon that killed three UN peacekeepers last month were most likely caused by Israeli tank fire in one case and a Hezbollah improvised explosive device in another, according to preliminary findings from a United Nations investigation shared last night.

“We have requested with the relevant parties that the cases be investigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability for crimes against peacekeepers,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said.

On 29 March, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed and three others were wounded when a projectile exploded near a position of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

A day later, two more soldiers serving in the same mission were killed when an explosion tore apart their vehicle. A third peacekeeper was seriously wounded, while a fourth sustained lighter injuries.

Dujarric said UNIFIL had twice shared the coordinates of all its positions and installations with the Israeli military in the days leading up to the incident.

He said the 30 March blast was caused by an IED.

“The investigation has assessed that, given the location of the incident, the nature of the explosion, and the current context, the IED was most likely placed by Hezbollah,” he said.

UNIFIL has operated along the Israel-Lebanon frontier since 1978, serving as a buffer force, but it is now increasingly exposed to the fighting between the Israeli military and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Israel continuing to ‘endanger peacekeeping personnel’ – Indonesia

Indonesia’s foreign ministry said today it had received the UN’s preliminary findings.

“The government of Indonesia has urged all relevant parties to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, and to ensure accountability for the crimes committed against peacekeeping personnel,” ministry official Veronica Vicka Ancilla Rompis said.

She said Israel’s continuing military operations in southern Lebanon “will continue to endanger peacekeeping personnel”.

“All actions that endanger peacekeeping personnel constitute a serious violation of international law and must not be allowed to continue.”

Asked whether Indonesia was weighing a pause in peacekeeper deployments to Lebanon, ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said: “every decision we make related to this issue will go through very, very careful consideration”.