Late Wednesday, a United Nations Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy was attacked by gunfire, killing one Irish peacekeeper and wounding three others. The two UNIFIL armored vehicles were on their way to Beirut Airport when they were harassed in the southern city of Aqibiya, near Saida.
The back road from Aqibiya would be outside UNIFIL’s jurisdiction, which could be the source of the attack. Hezbollah, the usual suspect in its southern Lebanon stronghold, has offered its condolences and denied its involvement in what it describes as an “accident”.
The late soldier Seán Rooney was just 23 years old. His partner Shane Kearney, 22, underwent surgery and is in serious condition, while the other two wounded soldiers are non-life threatening.
According to witnesses, a crowd blocked the passage of the two armored vehicles, separating them. One of them reacted by accelerating and already losing control under the bullets and rolling over after crashing into a shop’s metal door. It is not clear if there was an exchange of fire and it is not clear if any civilians were injured.
UNIFIL’s mandate at the United Nations was extended by one year on August 31 with a constitutional amendment. Its troops, which have previously had to work hand-in-hand with the Lebanese army, are free to move about in what Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah has described as a “violation of sovereignty”.
Coincidentally, the current UNIFIL commander is a Spanish general, Aroldo Lázaro, while Spain is the second most troop-contributing European country after France and Italy. UNIFIL’s origins date back to 1978 in response to Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon (a country the Hebrew Army would invade again before finally withdrawing in 2000 due to harassment from Hezbollah, a Shia organization and militia the Tsahal worked with (see 2006).
If UNIFIL’s mission seems endless, neither is the financial, economic and political crisis in Lebanon. This Thursday, the tenth attempt to appoint a presidential post that had been vacant since October 31 failed. The President of the Assembly, the resilient Nabih Berry, has already informed his lordships that there will be no new votes for the rest of the year.