The Finul first announced, through its spokesperson Candice Ardiel, that a Monday morning explosion in southern Lebanon had seriously damaged a mission vehicle and injured several peacekeepers. According to the first press release, some of the wounded were evacuated, but two others had not yet been released at the time of the statement, owing to the lack of sufficient security guarantees to access the site. The Finul stated that, after coordination with the Lebanese and Israeli authorities, a team was travelling to try to evacuate them.
A few hours later, the United Nations mission issued a second communiqué confirming that two peacekeepers had been killed in a « tragic incident » in southern Lebanon, following an explosion of unknown origin that destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan. Finul added that a third soldier had been seriously injured and a fourth had also been injured. It announced the initiation of an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.
The chronology of the day is therefore based on two times. Initially, Finul reported a severely affected vehicle, several injuries and difficulties in accessing the site. In a second stage, after the operation to the explosion zone, she confirmed the death of two of her men. The mission notes that this is the second fatal incident affecting its ranks in less than 24 hours.
In its evening communiqué, the Finul also presents a legal and political reminder. It affirms that all parties must respect their obligations under international law and ensure the continued security of United Nations personnel and property. It added that deliberate attacks against peacekeepers constituted serious violations of international humanitarian law and resolution 1701, and could constitute war crimes.
This episode comes as the day before, Indonesia had already denounced the death of one of its peacekeepers in the Finul in another incident in southern Lebanon. The succession of these events further increases the human balance for the UN mission deployed in the country.
