June 4, 2026 | 05:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A peacekeeper serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed, and two others were wounded after mortar shells struck their position in southern Lebanon, the mission announced on Thursday, June 4, 2026.In a statement reported by Anadolu, UNIFIL noted that the unnamed peacekeeper, whose nationality was not disclosed, sustained critical injuries "when mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun, southeastern Lebanon" on Wednesday night.The wounded peacekeeper was medically evacuated by air to a hospital in Beirut, where he ultimately succumbed to his severe injuries.The mission confirmed that two other peacekeepers were also wounded in the strike and are currently undergoing treatment at medical facilities inside the UNIFIL base.The peacekeeping force stated that it has opened an official investigation "to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to this tragic incident.""UNIFIL has detected an increasingly high number of trajectories and impacts in South Lebanon. The violence must end," the mission stated.Previously, six UNIFIL peacekeepers lost their lives in southern Lebanon during an escalation of hostilities between March and April 2026.On March 29, 2026, three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed when a projectile detonated near a UN position close to Adchit Al Qusayr, an incident that an initial UN probe linked to Israeli tank fire.The following day, two more Indonesian peacekeepers were killed and several others wounded in a vehicle explosion near Bani Haiyyan, an incident subsequently attributed to Hezbollah.Meanwhile, on April 18, 2026, French peacekeeper Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio was killed, and three others were wounded by direct fire during a mine-clearing operation in the village of Ghandouriyeh, with UNIFIL and French officials indicating that the attack was likely executed by Hezbollah.On April 22, 2026, France announced the death of a second soldier following an attack in southern Lebanon targeting the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)."Anicet Girardin has died this morning as a result of his injuries. He died for France," President Emmanuel Macron said in a message published on US social media company X.Israel-Lebanon CeasefireAccording to reports from Libnanews, this tragic announcement at a sensitive time, arriving just hours after the declaration of a conditional ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, even as the UN mission recorded a high volume of tracking radar activity and projectile impacts across the south.The accord brokered in Washington demands that Hezbollah withdraw its forces entirely from territories south of the Litani River, clearing the path for the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume total security control over the region.However, the death of yet another UN peacekeeper last night has transformed the newly minted ceasefire into an urgent test of credibility for all factions involved.The targeted outpost near Marjayoun is far from a minor strategic point; this southeastern sector of Lebanon sits within one of the most volatile corridors of UNIFIL’s operational map. It is near the Blue Line, the border area, a military axis, and an area where shooting has increased since the resumption of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.The UN force's statement refrained from assigning blame, omitting any mention of whether the deadly projectile originated from Lebanese territory, the Israeli side, or a crossfire zone between the warring factions.The statement also left unclear whether the position fell victim to intentional direct fire, a stray trajectory, or debris from a broader artillery duel, a calculated ambiguity that highlights the sheer density of projectiles, loitering drones, and counter-strikes saturating local military lines.The wider Israeli air and ground campaign into Lebanon erupted in early March, triggered after Hezbollah launched retaliatory strikes following the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a sudden, joint US-Israeli operation in late February. The resulting warfare has claimed the lives of over 3,200 people and forced over a million residents to flee their homes in southern Lebanon.Read: Israel, Lebanon Renew Ceasefire After US-brokered TalksClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
