India on Friday condemned an attack on personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that killed a Serbian peacekeeper and called for a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure full accountability.
The UNIFIL and Serbian authorities said on Thursday that a Serbian peacekeeper died following the shelling of a UN base near Marjayoun. Two more peacekeepers were injured and are being treated at a UNIFIL facility. UNIFIL officials said the base was hit during an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and Hezbollah forces.
“We have condemned this particular attack on UNIFIL in which one soldier from Serbia has been killed,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing. “Earlier also, we’ve taken a similar stance — we condemned attacks on UN peacekeepers deployed with UNIFIL.”
India is among the largest troop contributors to UNIFIL, whose personnel have been repeatedly targeted against the backdrop of a flare-up of hostilities in Lebanon.
Earlier, India’s permanent mission to the UN in New York issued a statement that condemned the attack on peacekeepers deployed with UNIFIL and paid tribute to the fallen Serbian peacekeeper.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, India’s permanent mission to the UN in New York issued a statement that condemned the attack on peacekeepers deployed with UNIFIL and paid tribute to the fallen Serbian peacekeeper.
{{/usCountry}}“India reiterates the fundamental importance of respecting the sanctity and inviolability of UN premises and personnel. We call upon all parties to ensure the safety and security of UN peacekeepers, who operate under UN Security Council mandates,” the statement said.
Besides calling for full adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 2589 on “Accountability for Crimes against Peacekeepers”, the Indian side sought an “immediate and thorough investigation” into the attack to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure full accountability.
Military activity resumed in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah rejected a conditional ceasefire proposal. The death of the Serbian peacekeeper took the total number of UNIFIL personnel killed during hostilities since March to seven.