'Israel' kills UN contractor, his cousin in airstrike on south Lebanon
A senior official in UNIFIL says that attacks on civilians constitute violations of international humanitarian law and must stop.
A vehicle driven by an employee of a cleaning company contracted by UNIFIL was targeted by Israeli occupation forces this morning on the Tyre-Naqoura road in southern Lebanon, according to the Deputy Director of UNIFIL's Media Office.
The two martyred civilians were identified as Hussein Mahdi Mahdi, the UNIFIL-contracted employee, and his cousin Ali Yousef Mahdi.
Read more: Israeli attacks on South Lebanon leave four citizens injured
An Israeli drone targeted a car on the coastal road near Naqoura killing two civilians, Ali Yousef Mahdi, an expatriate who works in Africa and just back to Lebanon, and his first cousin Hussein Mahdi Mahdi, a contractor with UNIFIL. pic.twitter.com/9VPYzlACEZ
— War Watch (@WarWatchs) September 2, 2024
Candice Ardell said that the Israeli attack resulted in the deaths of the contracted employee and another person in the vehicle, who was reportedly visiting from abroad.
Ardell added, "UNIFIL regrets the injury and loss of life that has occurred since October 8. Attacks on civilians constitute violations of international humanitarian law and must stop."
She concluded her statement by calling for a diplomatic solution to the confrontations on the Lebanese-Palestinian borders, stating that "it is the only way forward."
Read more: Israeli military Cmdr urges targeting Lebanon civilian infrastructure
Earlier this morning, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that two civilians were martyred in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a vehicle on the al-Naqoura road in southern Lebanon.
In another statement, the ministry, citing its Emergency Health Operations Center, reported that "an Israeli artillery strike using phosphorus shells on the town of Khiyam resulted in a citizen suffering from asphyxiation, who was subsequently transferred to Marjeyoun Governmental Hospital."