UN commander injured as Lebanese protesters torch car near Beirut airport

UNIFIL deputy commander wounded when convoy he travelled in was attacked by protesters who set his UN vehicle on fire.

The outgoing deputy commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was injured when protesters halted his convoy and torched the vehicle in which he was travelling to Beirut’s airport.

Major-General Chok Bahadur Dhakal was on his way to leave the country for Nepal on Friday night after completing his mission when the UNIFIL convoy taking peacekeepers to the airport was attacked by protesters. The Lebanese army intervened but not before the UN peacekeepers sustained injuries.

UNIFIL said in a statement that attacks on peacekeepers were a “flagrant” violation of international law and “may amount to war crimes”.

“We are shocked by this outrageous attack on peacekeepers who have been serving to restore security and stability to south Lebanon during a difficult time,” UNIFIL said.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun on Saturday condemned the attack, saying security forces will not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilise the country. Aoun “emphasised that the attackers will receive their punishment”, a statement from the presidency said on X.

‘Bring them to justice’

Protesters said to be supporters of Hezbollah blocked the road to the country’s only airport for a second day on Friday, following a decision by Lebanese authorities to stop Iranian planes from landing in the capital Beirut because of allegations by the Israeli military that Tehran is attempting to smuggle funds to Hezbollah using civilian flights.

The decision led to claims the Lebanese government has caved to pressure from Israel.

The Lebanese army said in a statement acting commander Major-General Hassan Odeh had contacted UNIFIL and pledged to “work to arrest the citizens who attacked its members and bring them to justice”.

Lebanese state news agency NNA reported Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called for an emergency meeting before noon on Saturday to discuss the security situation and describe the assault as a “crime against UNIFIL forces”.

He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.

The United States also condemned the attack it said “resulted in multiple injuries on UN peacekeepers”. The Department of State statement said the attack was carried out “reportedly by a group of Hezbollah supporters”.

“We commend the swift response of the Lebanese Armed Forces to prevent further violence, and the Lebanese government’s commitment to take all necessary measures to hold individuals accountable for their actions,” it said.

Hezbollah appeared to be attempting to distance itself from the attack with a statement shared on social media by al-Manar TV blaming “unruly elements” for having “caused chaos with suspicious objectives on the Beirut airport road”.

The Amal Movement, the political party of parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said in a statement “the attack on UNIFIL is an attack on southern Lebanon” and called for the army and security forces to pursue the perpetrators.

UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of the Israeli military from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion.

The UN expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the country’s south for the first time in decades.

Both Hezbollah and Israel regularly accuse UNIFIL of collusion, and peacekeepers have previously come under attack from Israeli forces.

During the recent Israeli war on Lebanon, Israel demanded UNIFIL leave its positions in the south of the country and Israeli tanks trained their guns on peacekeepers, destroying a gate at a UNIFIL base and firing on a UNIFIL watchtower.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies