Lebanon: UN Peacekeepers Killed in Explosions - Press Conference | United Nations

“Our peacekeepers remain on the ground, carrying out Security Council-mandated tasks, in these extremely dangerous conditions,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations said. Briefing reporters in New York Lacroix said two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed earlier in the day when an explosion hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy near Bani Hayyan in Sector East, injuring two more. A day earlier, another Indonesian peacekeeper died in an explosion inside a UNIFIL base in Ett Taibe, also in Sector East, with a second critically wounded and evacuated to Beirut. “We strongly condemn these unacceptable incidents. Peacekeepers must never be a target,” he said, adding that UNIFIL was investigating to determine the circumstances of the deaths. “All acts that endanger the peacekeepers must stop.” On violations of resolution 1701, Lacroix said: “We have a multiplicity of violations of resolution 1701,” citing strikes in both directions across the Blue Line as well as the presence of Israeli forces in Lebanon. “There cannot be a military solution. There has to be a political solution. The framework is there for a political solution - resolution 1701 - to which all the parties are still committed, to the best of what we hear from them.” Lacroix said the mission was in constant contact with Indonesia and that liaison with the IDF remained ongoing, “which enables UNIFIL to deconflict a number of movements, for example, for the resupply of positions or for support to the civilian population in the area.” He reiterated the Secretary-General's appeal to all sides to cease the fighting, saying only the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 by both parties would “enable a long-term solution to the conflict.” The USG also said, “The women and men of UNIFIL demonstrate utmost courage and commitment to advancing international peace and security far away from home.”


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