MOSCOW, Mar 31: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack on three observers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on the border with Israel, and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis between the parties, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said.
On Saturday, Lebanese media reported that an Israeli drone hit a UNIFIL vehicle in the southern village of Wadi Katmoun near the border town of Rmeish. Several UN military observers were reportedly injured in the incident. A UNIFIL spokesperson later confirmed the strike, saying that three military observers and their Lebanese interpreter had been injured during foot patrol on the border with Israel. The Israel Defense Forces, for its part, has denied having struck UNIFIL’s vehicle in Lebanon.
“The Secretary-General condemns an explosion today that impacted an Observer Group Lebanon (OGL) patrol, injuring three OGL military observers of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and one language assistant. An investigation by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is underway. He reiterates that the safety and security of peacekeepers must be ensured at all times,” a statement said on Saturday.
Guterres also called on all parties to refrain from further violations of the cessation of hostilities in accordance with resolution 1701 and to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis, the statement added.
Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah has been exchanging airstrikes with Israel regularly since October 2023, as the situation in the region deteriorated dramatically after Israel announced a military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian movement launched a surprise attack and abducted hundreds.
(UNI)
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