These are the first Austrian victims in the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon: On Tuesday, eight soldiers of the armed forces were injured in a rocket attack on the UN base in Naqoura.
At the time of the incident, the soldiers were outside their shelters. It is not yet possible to say which side the missile can be assigned to.
The federal Ministry of Defense announced that none of the soldiers required emergency medical care. These are minor and superficial injuries. This was the first time since 2012 that Austrian soldiers were injured while deployed abroad.
“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and demand an immediate explanation. All parties are called upon to immediately guarantee the safety of all peacekeepers. Endangerment of UN peacekeepers, whether intentionally or unintentionally, cannot and will not be tolerated. I wish the injured comrades a speedy recovery,” Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner emphasized.
Blue helmets are increasingly in the line of fire
The UN observation mission UNIFIL in Lebanon says it has been targeted several times by the warring parties in recent weeks. Most attacks on blue helmets are attributed to Israeli forces, who deploy air and ground troops to fight the radical Islamist Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Israel has called for the withdrawal of UNIFIL forces from combat areas.
It recently said: Despite the dramatic escalation and violence in recent times, peacekeepers would continue to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. “We will continue to carry out our mandatory monitoring tasks,” the UN said.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force has been stationed in Lebanon since 1978 and consists of approximately 10,000 soldiers and civilians. Austria is participating in the mission with 160 domestic troops who are part of the transport unit “Multi Role Logistic Unit”.
Source: Krone
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