The United Nations issued a statement Friday (Dec. 9) condemning the attack on the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon that led to the injury of five French peacekeepers.
“This attack on UNIFIL, the third since May 2011, is deeply disturbing,” the statement said. “The security and safety of all United Nations personnel in Lebanon is of paramount importance.”
Major-General Asarta Cuevas, the mission’s force commander, said the attack was a “vile and despicable act” that “not only aims to cause harm to the peacekeepers, but also to undermine the stability and peace that have been prevailing in the south.”
This was backed by Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said “such attacks don’t only target Unifil but also Lebanon’s stability and security.”
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton also condemned the attack and offered their sympathies to the wounded peacekeepers and Lebanese civilians.
The bombing was reportedly the third attack on UNIFIL this year. The first one in May wounded six Italian peacekeepers, and the second in July injured six French soldiers. According to the United Nations, about 12,000 peacekeepers from 35 countries remain in Lebanon.
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