Mikati condemns 'painful' attack on UNIFIL

The Foreign Ministry and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Thursday an attack on a UNIFIL convoy in southern Lebanon.

Mikati expressed his "deep regret" after an Irish UNIFIL member was killed and three others were wounded near the village of Al-Aqbiya after their convoy came under fire.

Mikati called the attack a "painful incident" and underlined the "need to carry out the necessary inquiries to determine its circumstances and prevent its repetition".

U.N peacekeeping force UNIFIL said it had opened an investigation.

The vehicle had been blocked by villagers after it took a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by the U.N. force.

Witnesses said they had heard gunfire and the driver had appeared to lose control of the vehicle as the convoy attempted to leave the area.

“Our thoughts are also with the local civilians who may have been injured or frightened during the incident,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said, adding that “details are sparse and conflicting.” Tenenti added that UNIFIL is coordinating with the military and trying to “determine exactly what happened.”

Mikati praised "the sacrifices that UNIFIL forces made to maintain peace in the south, which reflects stability for the people of the region and Lebanon in general."