The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in mourning after three of its peacekeepers lost their lives in explosions between Sunday 29 and Monday 30 March, as reported by franceinfo. The incident occurred near the border with Israel, in southern Lebanon. The French diplomatic response to these tragic deaths was swift, with a call for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council scheduled for Tuesday 31st March at 3 pm Paris time.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot denounced what he described as “serious incidents” and pointed fingers at “intimidations from Israeli army soldiers” that French members of UNIFIL had allegedly faced in southern Lebanon, closer to the coast, as reported by 20 Minutes. Barrot strongly condemned the deadly shootings and expressed his views to the Israeli ambassador in Paris.
Two separate explosions took place, the first on Sunday near Adchit Al Qusayr, targeting a UNIFIL position with an unknown projectile. An Indonesian peacekeeper was killed in the explosion while another was seriously injured. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident, highlighting the ongoing risks faced by peacekeepers.
The next day near Bani Hayyan, two more peacekeepers tragically died in an explosion that destroyed their vehicle of unknown origin. A third person was critically injured, and a fourth was also wounded. UNIFIL is conducting an investigation and has not attributed responsibility for the losses at this time. The Israeli military has denied involvement, suggesting the Hezbollah group may be behind the incident, as reported by France 24.
