Vehicles pass under a road sign that reads al-Aaqbiya in southern Lebanon on Dec. 15, 2022. (Credit: Aziz Taher)
BEIRUT — A senior Hezbollah official on Thursday said an "unintentional incident" had led to the death of an Irish soldier on a UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon the previous evening, adding that the armed group was not involved.
Wafiq Safa told Reuters his party offered its condolences "after the unintentional incident that took place between the residents of al-Aaqbiya and individuals from the Irish unit," and urged the party not be "inserted" into the incident.
According to witnesses interviewed by AFP, the vehicle driven by the killed peacekeeper was intercepted by residents in the village of Al-Aqbiya. According to them, there was some tension before the attack.
However, a Lebanese judicial source assured AFP on Friday that no altercation between the residents and UNIFIL had taken place before the attack and that reports that the UNIFIL vehicle had hit a villager were incorrect.
on Thursday said an "unintentional incident" had led to the
death of an Irish soldier on a UN peacekeeping mission in
southern Lebanon the previous evening, adding that the armed group
was not involved.
Wafiq Safa told Reuters his party offered its condolences
"after the unintentional incident that took place between...