A firefighter extinguishes a car at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo)
Condemning the recent attacks in Lebanon on UNIFIL peacekeepers, India on Thursday urged all parties to ensure the inviolability of the UN mission and the safety and security of the peacekeepers.
In its first comments since the attacks that claimed three lives, India has sought accountability for crimes against the UN peacekeepers.
“We condemn the recent attacks on UN Peacekeepers deployed in UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), and pay our homage to the fallen Blue Helmets. We urge all parties to ensure the inviolability of the UN mission and the safety and security of the Peacekeepers. As one of the largest and longest serving contributors to Peacekeeping, and in consonance with UNSC resolution 2589, we seek accountability for crimes against peacekeepers,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday.
Two peacekeepers with the UNIFIL force were killed on Monday near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon. Two other soldiers were wounded in the incident. Earlier, another Indonesian soldier was killed in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday when a projectile exploded near one of the group’s positions.
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“India has been playing an important role in UN Peacekeeping Operations. Our troops under the aegis of UN mandated peacekeeping missions have made significant contribution to global peace and security. In UNIFIL, we have around 600 Indian troops,” Jaiswal said.
A roadside explosion appears to have struck the convoy of two Indonesian peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Tuesday, citing initial findings of an investigation.
“UNIFIL is conducting investigations to determine the circumstances of these reprehensible developments,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN peacekeeping, told a UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon, where a new war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah erupted on March 2.
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The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its review of an incident involving UNIFL troops on Monday concluded that Israeli troops did not place an explosive device in the area, adding that no troops were present there. It also called on the UNIFL to avoid a presence in combat zones where it has issued an evacuation warning for civilians.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the killing of the peacekeepers, saying that such attacks were “grave violations of international humanitarian law… and may amount to war crimes.”
“There will need to be accountability,” he added in a statement.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the attacks “in the strongest terms,” adding that they reflected the deteriorating security environment in the region. It said that ongoing Israeli military operations have placed UN peacekeepers in Lebanon at grave risk.
