UNIFIL: 2 Peacekeepers Hurt as Patrol Pelted with Stones near Srifa

Lieutenant-Colonel Gokul Bhandaree, a military spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), on Tuesday clarified the circumstances of a clash that took place Monday evening between UNIFIL peacekeepers and Lebanese villagers near the southern town of Srifa.

"Yesterday … at around 8:30 pm a UNIFIL convoy coming from Beirut with newly arrived troops lost its way in the vicinity of the town of Srifa. The convoy was stopped by a group of local people and a stand-off ensued. Some of the people from the group threw stones at the UNIFIL peacekeepers,” the spokesman said.

“Two peacekeepers received light injuries from stones thrown at them and several vehicles got damaged. Lebanese Army intervened to calm the situation and the convoy continued on its way shortly after,” he added.

Bhandaree noted that the UNIFIL force and the Lebanese army were “conducting investigations in order to ascertain all the facts and circumstances relating to the incident,” adding that “the situation in the area remains quiet.”

Earlier Tuesday, Voice of Lebanon radio station reported that Hizbullah members pelted U.N. peacekeepers with stones after a dispute between the two sides over a UNIFIL patrol near the southern town of Srifa.

It said the party’s members seized the vehicles and the members of the Belgian and Italian contingents to prevent them from carrying out a patrol in the area of al-Naffakhiyya on Monday.

The Lebanese army immediately interfered to contain the incident, VDL said, adding that when the alleged Hizbullah members sought to seize the cameras of the peacekeepers, the dispute turned ugly as several of the party’s members resorted to pelting the international troops with stones.

The radio station said one soldier was injured in the incident, without specifying the type of his injuries.

“Hizbullah members later released the peacekeepers after the region’s leaderships interfered to contain the incident,” VDL added.