China to enhance security of peacekeepers in Lebanon

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) — China on Tuesday said it would take additional measures to enhance the security of its peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon, following attacks by Israel on the UN Interim Force in the country (UNIFIL), state media reported.

Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said Chinese peacekeeping troops with UNIFIL are "safe now" and that Beijing was "closely monitoring the security situation" in the country.

"(We) will take additional measures to strengthen security protection of troops," Wu said.

He added that Beijing was "seriously concerned and strongly condemns" the Israeli military’s attack on UNIFIL.

"We require a thorough investigation on the incident and hold those responsible accountable. We urge relevant parties to take real actions to prevent such an incident from happening again. The parties involved in the conflict must ensure the safety of the personnel and assets of the UNIFIL," said Wu.

Last week, four UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured by Israeli army shelling on their posts in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL was established as interim force decades ago, in 1978, to help restore peace in the region and as a confirmation of Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,500 people, injuring over 4,500 others, and displacing more than 1.34 million people.

The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed nearly 42,300 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Despite international warnings that the Mideast was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, it expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.