UN peacekeeper killed and another critically injured in Lebanon
The UN 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 on Sunday.
Another peacekeeper was critically injured, it said early on Monday,
“We do not know the origin of the projectile. We have launched an investigation to determine all of the circumstances,” Unifil added in the statement.
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, Reuters reports.
UN peacekeepers drive past a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqura in southern Lebanon on Friday. Photograph: Kawnat Haju/AFP/Getty Images
The mission, which will be halted at the end of 2026, has been sporadically caught in the crosshairs of both Israel and Hezbollah over the past couple of years. 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.