Eight UN peacekeepers wounded in rocket strike in Lebanon
UNIFIL positions have come under attack at least 20 times since Israel’s ground incursion in southern Lebanon began in early October. PHOTO: REUTERS
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has reported that eight of its peacekeepers were wounded on Tuesday after a rocket, likely fired by Hezbollah or an affiliated group, struck its headquarters in Naqoura, southern Lebanon.
“A rocket hit UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, setting a vehicle workshop on fire,” the force said in a statement, specifying that the rocket “was fired from north of UNIFIL’s headquarters, likely by Hezbollah or an affiliated group.”
Austria’s Federal Ministry of Defence confirmed that eight Austrian soldiers with UNIFIL were injured in the attack. The Ministry condemned the incident, noting it was “currently not possible to say where the attack came from.”
“Eight Austrian army soldiers from the UNIFIL contingent were injured today at 12:58 pm [10:58 GMT] by a rocket hit in Camp Naqoura; none of them seriously,” the Ministry’s statement read.
The injuries sustained were described as “minor and superficial,” with the affected soldiers, members of a repair platoon, not requiring emergency medical care, according to the statement.