Maltese soldiers deployed in Lebanon UN peacekeeping force safe

Maltese soldiers forming part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon are safe, a spokesperson for the Armed Forces of Malta said.

The UN mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said on Sunday its headquarters in Naquora was hit with a rocket as Israel and Hezbollah fighters exchanged fire across the border.

The AFM has nine soldiers deployed in Lebanon with the Irish Defence Forces in support of the UN mission.

“The AFM is closely monitoring the situation and is in direct contact with the Irish Defense Forces. Although the situation is volatile all Maltese soldiers are safe,” the AFM spokesperson said.

The UN has more than 10,000 peacekeeping troops deployed along the border of Lebanon with Israel and Syria in what is known as the Blue Line.

UNIFIL said at the time of the rocket strike peacekeepers were not inside. It was not yet clear who fired the rocket.

Attacks on civilians or UN personnel are violations of international law that may amount to war crimes.

“We continue to actively engage with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line to de-escalate the situation, but regrettably despite our efforts military escalation continues,” UNIFIL said, urging all parties involved to cease fire and allow peacekeepers to help find solutions. “No one wants to see more people hurt or killed.”

Tension along the Lebanon-Israel border has been running high since Hamas staged a multi-pronged attack on Israel from Gaza that left more than 1,400 Israelis dead. Israel has since been pounding Gaza relentlessly as it prepares a ground invasion to go after Hamas militants in the territory.

Israel has also blockaded the territory home to more than two million Palestinians, creating a massive humanitarian crisis.

The militant Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon has pledged support to Hamas. Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged rocket fire over the past few days as fears grow of a wider conflict in the region.

UN peacekeepers have been deployed inside Lebanon since 1978. The AFM first deployed officers with UNIFIL in 2007 in cooperation with the Italian military.

Since 2018, the AFM has been deploying an infantry section made up of eight soldiers and a junior officer. The AFM contingent is embedded with an Irish Battalion.