UN Probe Finds Israeli Tank Fire Killed Peacekeeper in Lebanon

Investigation confirms source of attack

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed that an Israeli tank fired the projectile that killed a UN peacekeeper in southern Lebanon last month.

According to the investigation, analysts examined the impact site and recovered fragments from the scene. They identified the weapon as a 120mm tank shell fired from an Israeli Merkava tank. The projectile came from the east, in the direction of Ett Taibe.

UNIFIL shared coordinates before incident

UNIFIL stated that it had already shared the exact locations of all its positions and facilities with Israeli forces on March 6 and again on March 22. The mission took these steps to reduce risks to its personnel operating in the area.

Despite these precautions, the attack still occurred.

Incident left one dead one injured

The strike happened on the night of March 29 when a shell hit a UNIFIL post near Adchit Al Qusayr. The explosion killed one peacekeeper and seriously injured another.

At the time, UNIFIL did not know the origin of the projectile and immediately launched an investigation to determine the cause.

UN warns of legal consequences

Following the findings, UNIFIL reiterated that any deliberate attack on peacekeepers would violate international humanitarian law. It also stressed that such actions breach UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Lebanon War.

Moreover, the mission warned that targeting UN personnel could amount to war crimes under international law.
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