UN Secretary-General condemns attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterates that "the safety and security of peacekeepers must be ensured at all times."
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference at an UNRWA school in the Al-Wehdat camp for Palestinian refugees in Amman, on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Mohammad HANNON / AFP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack on three observers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on the border with occupied Palestine, and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis between the parties, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Saturday.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on Saturday morning that an Israeli drone targeted a patrol of international observers working with UNIFIL in the border town of Rmesih, near the Lebanese-Palestinian border. Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati's office said that he has condemned the Israeli drone attack.
Several UN military observers were reportedly injured in the incident. A UNIFIL spokesperson later confirmed the strike, saying that three military observers and their Lebanese interpreter had been injured during foot patrol.
"The Secretary-General condemns an explosion today that impacted an Observer Group Lebanon (OGL) patrol, injuring three OGL military observers of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and one language assistant," Dujarric said.
"An investigation by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is underway. He reiterates that the safety and security of peacekeepers must be ensured at all times," the statement read.
Guterres also called on all parties to refrain from further violations of the cessation of hostilities in accordance with resolution 1701 and to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis, the statement added.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
