A Serbian peacekeeper in Lebanon was killed in a mortar attack, the UN interim force in the country announced on Saturday. Two other peacekeepers were injured in the incident on Thursday near the south-eastern district of Marjayoun.
Serbian authorities confirmed the soldier received emergency treatment after his base came under attack. He was taken to hospital in Beirut, where he died.
Unifil did not say who was responsible for the attack, which came amid cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that "all attacks on peacekeepers must be promptly investigated, and those responsible must be effectively prosecuted and held accountable".
“Deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701, and may amount to war crimes,” Unifil said in a statement.
Under resolution 1701, the interim force is mandated to monitor the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. It also says only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be stationed between the Israeli border and the Litani River.
A total of seven UN peacekeepers have been killed in Lebanon since hostilities began on March 2. Among them were three Indonesian peacekeepers who died in attacks that month. In April, a French peacekeeper was killed and three were injured in an ambush while clearing explosives near Ghandouriyah, in southern Lebanon.
A US-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel was signed in Washington on June 26. The ceremony was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington.
The deal is aimed at de-escalating the conflict along Lebanon’s southern border, but concerns have been raised about whether it could restrict Beirut's ability to pursue international accountability for Israeli war crimes.
At least 4,278 people have been killed by Israel's attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to authorities, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in Lebanon in decades. The dead include 253 children, 391 women and 135 healthcare workers.
