Three incidents involving French soldiers, targeted by the Israeli army, occurred on Saturday, March 28, without causing any injuries. Paris denounces the “unacceptable” acts and has referred the matter to the UN Security Council.
Three incidents involved French soldiers belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Saturday, March 28, without causing any injuries, according to information from BFMTV.
Saturday morning, near Naqoura, Israeli soldiers pointed their weapons at the Chief of Staff of UNIFIL, General Paul Sanzey, and his assistant, as the two men were returning to the area after a trip to Beirut. They were ordered to turn back before eventually being allowed to proceed to Naqoura.
In the afternoon, a UNIFIL logistics convoy engaged in a resupply mission, including French soldiers, was fired upon by the Israeli army. Later in the evening, the commander of the Force Commander Reserve, a rapid reaction unit under the direct authority of the UNIFIL command and composed of a Franco-Finnish battalion, was also targeted by an Israeli tank.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced the “serious incidents” affecting the French contingent deployed within the UN force. He described these acts as “unacceptable and unjustifiable,” stating that they jeopardized the security of UN personnel even though the coordination procedures on the ground had been respected.
These incidents come as last Sunday, three Indonesian peacekeepers lost their lives in southern Lebanon. Two of them were killed in the explosion of their vehicle near Bani Hayyan, in still unclear circumstances. A third was fatally hit on Sunday by the explosion of a projectile in the border area between Lebanon and Israel.
France requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 31, in the early afternoon. Since Hezbollah’s entry into the war in support of Iran, the Lebanese authorities have reported over 1,200 deaths and 3,600 injuries from Israeli strikes.
[Context: The incidents involved French soldiers belonging to the UNIFIL, which is a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.] [Fact Check: Three Indonesian peacekeepers died in southern Lebanon, not French soldiers. The incidents mentioned are distinct.]
