3 UN peacekeepers injured in explosion in southern Lebanon

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) – Three peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were lightly injured in an explosion near their vehicle in the vicinity of the southern city of Yarine, the mission said on Sunday.

“All peacekeepers in the patrol returned safely to their base,” the UN mission said in a statement.

“We are looking into the incident,” it said, without providing further details.

“We are strongly reminding all parties and actors of their responsibility to avoid harm to peacekeepers and civilians.”

The explosion came as fears grow of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid an exchange of cross-border attacks, especially after the July 30 assassination of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,100 people since last October, since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi