Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam Condemns "Criminal Attack" on a UN peacekeeping convoy on the highway to Beirut International Airport, which damaged vehicles and wounded a Nepalese officer.
The government press service said in a statement that the prime minister had contacted the UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Haroldo Lazaro Saenz. “Prime Minister Salam informed them that he had instructed the Minister of Interior to arrest the attackers and hand them over to the competent judicial authorities“, the text states.
Hennis-Plasshardt called the attack on the convoy of “blue helmets”, who “constantly work to maintain stability in Lebanon and often face great risks in carrying out their mission” completely unacceptable. “The UN considers it necessary to conduct an immediate, comprehensive and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident in order to bring all those responsible to justice”, she noted.
Earlier, the UNIFIL command reported that the deputy commander of the peacekeeping force, Nepalese Brigadier General Chok Bahadur Dhakal, was injured in the attack. The statement stressed that "attacks on peacekeepers are a gross violation of international law and may amount to a war crime".
Supporters of the Shiite movement Hezbollah have been blocking the highway to Beirut International Airport for the second day due to the Lebanese authorities' refusal to accept flights by the Iranian airline Mahan Air. On Friday, crowds of aggressive youth began attacking cars heading to the airport.
Lebanese army troops put an end to the unrest and cleared the highway. The command of the armed forces of the republic warned that it would resolutely suppress all illegal actions that threaten internal stability.