BEIRUT — Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi Thursday asked the governors of Sour and Nabatieh districts to “hold a security council meeting” to prevent attacks on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) soldiers in South Lebanon, after several such incidents occurred recently, the National News Agency reported.
Here’s what we know:
• UNIFIL soldiers have faced repeated attacks, most recently in the village of Ramyeh in South Lebanon on Tuesday. One soldier was injured in this attack, according to UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti.
• During the incident, two vehicles were reportedly attacked and the perpetrators stole “a number of objects,” according to a statement from the spokesperson. The Lebanese Army was present on the scene and eventually succeeded in easing tensions.
• On Wednesday, President Michel Aoun informed UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon Yoana Frontka that an investigation has been opened into the incident and to determine responsibility for the attack, the state-run National News Agency reported.
• Attacks against UNIFIL soldiers have become frequent in recent months during the passage of their convoys in the South, a region considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. At the end of December, tensions arose between a UNIFIL patrol and residents of Shaqra, in Bint Jbeil. This attack was condemned by the Lebanese Foreign Affairs Ministry, which said it opened an investigation.