UN Peacekeeper Injured in Beirut as Convoy Comes Under Attack by Hezbollah Supporters

Lebanese officials have set an emergency meeting for Saturday following an attack on a UN peacekeeping convoy, which left a deputy commander wounded. The convoy was taking him to the airport when the attack happened. For the past two nights, Hezbollah sympathizers have besieged Lebanon’s sole airport in protest of a ruling barring two Iranian planes from landing at Beirut.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed that during the attack on Friday evening, one of its patrols was torched, leaving outgoing deputy force commander Chok Bahadur Dhakal wounded as he headed home.

Call for investigation

“We call for a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice,” UNIFIL said. A journalist from AFP said they had witnessed smoke billowing from the charred wreckage of a UN-marked car as soldiers cordoned off the area.

In turn, the Lebanese military pledged to take stringent action against perpetrators, while Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar summoned an urgent session of the Central Internal Security Council on Saturday morning. Following a visit to two wounded UNIFIL officers in hospital, Al-Hajjar reaffirmed “the Lebanese government’s condemnation of this attack.”

UN and Lebanese leadership condemnation

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert described the attack as “unacceptable.” “Such violence endangers the security of United Nations personnel who work hard to ensure stability in Lebanon, and sometimes risk their personal safety,” she added.

During talks with Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Commander General Aroldo Lazaro, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the “criminal attack” and promised to hold the perpetrators accountable. The Lebanese military reported that protests near the airport had become violent, resulting in vandalism, attacks on security personnel, and attacks on cars.

Uncertainty over the attackers

The identity of the people responsible for the UNIFIL attack is not known.Videos on social media show hooded protesters, some of whom are waving Hezbollah flags, attacking a man in military uniform and another in civilian uniform close to the burning UN car. Hezbollah still has strong influence in Lebanon despite the problems it is facing.

Its influence has declined, though, after a year-long war with Israel and the defeat of its ally, Bashar al-Assad, in Syria. Israel has consistently accused Hezbollah of using Beirut airport to ferry Iranian arms, allegations that have been denied by Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities. Lebanon’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday said it had “temporarily rescheduled” some flights, including those from Iran, until February 18 to install “additional security measures.”

Ceasefire deadline approaches

The new date of the rescheduled flight aligns with Israel and Hezbollah’s February 18 deadline for enforcement of the ceasefire agreement. Demos are common in Lebanon, but the nation’s power has changed dramatically within the past several months.

Hezbollah previously dominated the political arena, with no opposition from the security apparatus or the government. But since its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah died and lost Syria as its main weapons channel, its clout has decreased. Under the ceasefire, which commenced on November 27, Lebanese army troops were to be deployed in the south together with UN peacekeepers as the Israeli army pulled out within a 60-day period, extended later to February 18.

A top Israeli security official said that Israel stands ready to withdraw from Lebanese land and hand over control to the Lebanese army “within the timeline” set by the US- and French-brokered ceasefire deal. Hezbollah will also be required to leave its posts along the Israeli border during this time.