Three incidents involving French soldiers, targeted by the Israeli army, occurred on Saturday, March 28, without causing any injuries. Paris has denounced these “unacceptable” acts and has brought the matter to the UN Security Council.
Three incidents involved French soldiers belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Saturday, March 28 without causing any injuries, as reported by BFMTV.
Saturday morning, near Naqoura, Israeli soldiers aimed their weapons at the chief of staff of UNIFIL, General Paul Sanzey, and his assistant as they were returning to the area from a trip to Beirut. They were ordered to turn back before eventually being allowed to continue to Naqoura.
“Unacceptable and unjustifiable” actions for Jean-Noël Barrot
Later in the day, a logistics convoy of UNIFIL, including French soldiers, came under fire from the Israeli army during a resupply mission. A few hours later, in the late afternoon, the commander of the Force Commander Reserve, a rapid reaction unit under the direct authority of the UNIFIL command and made up of a Franco-Finnish battalion, was also targeted by Israeli tank fire.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, has condemned these “serious incidents” affecting the French contingent within the UN force. He described these acts as “unacceptable and unjustifiable”, stating that they jeopardized the security of UN personnel even though the coordination procedures on the ground had been followed.
Three Indonesian peacekeepers killed on Sunday
These events come as last Sunday, three Indonesian peacekeepers lost their lives in southern Lebanon. Two of them were killed in the explosion of their vehicle near Bani Hayyan, under unclear circumstances. A third peacekeeper was fatally injured on Sunday by an explosion of a projectile in the border area between Lebanon and Israel.
France has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday. It will take place on Tuesday, March 31, in the early afternoon. Since Hezbollah’s involvement in support of Iran in the conflict, Lebanese authorities have reported over 1,200 deaths and 3,600 injuries in Israeli airstrikes.
