BEIRUT – Three United Nations observers and a translator were wounded on March 30 when a shell exploded near them as they were carrying out a foot patrol in south Lebanon, UN peacekeeping mission Unifil said, adding that it was still investigating the origin of the blast.
Unifil said in a statement that the targeting of peacekeepers is “unacceptable”.
Two security sources had earlier told Reuters the observers were wounded in an Israeli strike.
The Israeli military denied involvement in the incident.
“Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a Unifil vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning,” the military said in a statement, using the abbreviation for Israel Defence Forces.
The security sources said the incident occurred outside the border town of Rmeish. One of the security sources said the car carried three UN technical observers and one Lebanese translator.
Rmeish Mayor Milad Alam told Reuters he had spoken with the translator and confirmed that his condition was stable.
“From Rmeish, we heard a blast and then saw a Unifil car zipping by. The foreign observers were taken to hospitals in Tyre and Beirut by helicopter and car,” Mr Milad said, without providing details on their condition.
Israel has been trading fire with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon for nearly six months in parallel with the Gaza war.
Israel’s shelling of Lebanon has killed nearly 270 Hezbollah fighters, but has also killed around 50 civilians – including children, medics and journalists – and hit both Unifil and the Lebanese army.
The UN technical observer mission, which is unarmed and known as UNTSO, monitors the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. Unifil is an armed peacekeeping mission.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the explosion and called for the safety of peacekeepers to be ensured, according to a statement from UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
“These hostile actions have not only disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of people, but they also pose a grave threat to the security and stability of Lebanon, Israel, and the region,” Mr Dujarric said. REUTERS
