Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stand near a Middle East Airlines (MEA) Airbus A321 aircraft during the repatriation ceremony for Irish soldier Sean Rooney, who was killed on a UN patrol, on Dec. 18, 2022. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
The Irish soldier Shane Kearney, seriously injured in the attack on a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy last Wednesday in al-Aaqbiya, in the south, will be evacuated to Ireland by medical plane to continue his treatment in Ireland, the Irish Defense Forces announced on Twitter.
"Óglaigh na hÉireann [the Irish Defense Forces] can confirm that Trooper Shane Kearney will be medically evacuated from Beirut Airport to Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel today via a specially equipped medical aircraft," the Tweet reads.
Upon arrival at the airfield, "he will then be taken by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital," in the north of Dublin, "to continue receiving treatment."
Shane Kearney's fellow peacekeeper, Sean Rooney, lost his life in the attack last week in al-Aaqbiya, a town in South Lebanon where the pro-Iranian Hezbollah has a strong presence.
Rooney's body was repatriated to Ireland on Monday morning.
Two other soldiers, lightly wounded in the attack, were quickly discharged from hospital.
UNIFIL, composed of 10,000 peacekeepers, has been deployed since 1978 as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, which technically remain in a state of war.
According to witnesses interviewed by AFP, the vehicle driven by the killed peacekeeper was intercepted by residents of the village of al-Aaqbiya. According to them, there was some tension before the attack. But a Lebanese judicial source assured AFP on Friday that no altercation between the population and UNIFIL had taken place before the shooting and that reports that the UNIFIL vehicle had hit a villager were unfounded.
According to information on the investigation obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour, Hezbollah cadres were involved in the attack. A Lebanese judicial source said seven bullets pierced the vehicle, one of which killed the driver. The other three soldiers were injured when the vehicle hit a pylon, the judicial source added.
Incidents have occurred in the past between Hezbollah supporters and UNIFIL patrols, but the pro-Iran organization has distanced itself from Wednesday's attack.
