Search
Search

SECURITY

Mikati and army chief visit UNIFIL headquarters after death of Irish peacekeeper

"Investigations are continuing into the killing of the Irish soldier, and whoever is found guilty will receive his punishment," Mikati said from Naqoura.

Mikati and army chief visit UNIFIL headquarters after death of Irish peacekeeper

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister and Army Chief General Joseph Aoun meet with UNIFIL's Commander-in-Chief, General Aroldo Lazaro in Naqoura, South Lebanon on Dec. 16, 2022. (Credit: Twitter/@grandserail)

BEIRUT — Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army chief Joseph Aoun visited the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon headquarters in Naqoura, South Lebanon Friday morning, vowing "punishment" for those involved in Wednesday night's killing of an Irish UN peacekeeper, according to Mikati's tweets. 

Seán Rooney, an Irish soldier serving with UNIFIL, was killed late Wednesday in the Hezbollah-dominated village of al-Aaqbiya, South Lebanon.

In Naqoura, Mikati and Aoun were received by UNIFIL's Commander-in-Chief, General Aroldo Lazaro, to whom they offered their "deepest condolences."

Read more:

Irish UNIFIL soldier killed in South Lebanon: What we know so far

According to the Irish Defense Forces, Rooney died when a convoy of two armored utility vehicles carrying eight personnel to Beirut came under "small arms fire." The 23-year-old peacekeeper was killed by a bullet to the head when seven projectiles pierced his vehicle, a Lebanese judicial source told AFP on Thursday afternoon.

Mikati and Aoun also wished "a speedy recovery" for the three soldiers who were wounded in the incident, one of whom remains in critical condition. 

The caretaker prime minister told Lazaro that he "valued the sacrifices of UNIFIL's members, the [Lebanese] army's strategic partner, in maintaining security and stability in the south, stressing the continuation of coordination and cooperation between them," according to his tweets.

'Good environment'

"Lebanon is committed to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, respects international resolutions, and calls on the United Nations to oblige Israel to fully implement it and stop its repeated aggressions against Lebanon and the violations of its sovereignty by land, sea and air," Mikati stated from Naqoura. "The environment in which international soldiers work is a good environment, and investigations are continuing into the killing of the Irish soldier, and whoever is found guilty will receive his punishment."

Read more:

UNIFIL's mandate extended for another year

In a UNIFIL statement later Friday, Lázaro thanked Mikati "for his visit today and for the strong solidarity he has shown UNIFIL and its peacekeepers," and thanked "the Lebanese government and authorities, who have been steadfast in their support."

'Quick action'

"I especially want to thank the authorities and first responders who were on the ground Wednesday night, for their quick action," Lázaro added. "I look forward to your support and cooperation going forward, as we investigate what happened."

"We are all processing the shocking events, and mourning the loss of Private Sean Rooney, a young Irish soldier with a bright future ahead of him," the UNIFIL head went on to say, wishing Private Shane Kearney, who is in critical condition, "a full and swift recovery, along with [his other] injured colleagues."

For his part, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti called it "a very serious incident" and told reporters it was "important" for the Lebanese authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"It is a crime against the international community, against peacekeepers who are here ... to maintain stability," he added.

"Peacekeepers are continuing with their activities and patrolling," Tenenti said.

Specialist team 

A spokesman for Ireland's army also told AFP that a specialist team was expected in Lebanon on Saturday to launch an investigation of the attack. 

Ireland's Foreign Affairs and Defense Minister Simon Coveney promised on Thursday three investigations to be conducted on the incident: one led by Ireland, one by the UN and a third by Lebanon.

Mikati added on Friday that "the necessary investigations are continuing to uncover the circumstances of the accident, and it is necessary to avoid its recurrence in the future."

"I salute the memory of the martyrs of [UNIFIL] forces whose blood has been mixed with the blood of the martyrs of the army and the southerners over the years since they were assigned to the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon."

Attacks on UNIFIL soldiers are not unusual during the patrol of convoys in South Lebanon, though they rarely result in fatalities. This is the first time a UNIFIL peacekeeper has been killed since Ja. 2015, when a Spanish soldier was killed by Israeli army fire during an escalation of violence on the border between Israel and Hezbollah.

BEIRUT — Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army chief Joseph Aoun visited the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon headquarters in Naqoura, South Lebanon Friday morning, vowing "punishment" for those involved in Wednesday night's killing of an Irish UN peacekeeper, according to Mikati's tweets. Seán Rooney, an Irish soldier serving with UNIFIL, was killed late...