After the killing of an Irish soldier, Hezbollah returns to the circle of terrorism
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi on Monday urged the state to seize all illegal weapons in the country and start implementing UN Resolution 1701, in a reference to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
Tragic accident
London-based Midlle East newspaper confirmed that al-Rahi’s statements came in the wake of a fatal accident that claimed the life of an Irish soldier from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon. A convoy from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon came under fire near the village of Al Aqbiya late on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of soldier Shaun Roney and the injury of three other peacekeepers.
Witnesses said that villagers in the Al Aqbiya area had intercepted Roney’s car after it had taken a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by UNIFIL.
According to the London newspaper, this is the first death of a member of UNIFIL in a violent incident in Lebanon since January 2015, when a Spanish peacekeeper was killed by Israeli fire. The Lebanese army intelligence branch opened an investigation into the incident. Security sources said that a swift investigation has been opened to track down the perpetrators, but no suspects have been arrested so far.
Hezbollah terrorism
The newspaper confirmed that this incident puts Hezbollah on the terrorist circuit once again. The Iranian-backed party has been committing a series of terrorist acts in Lebanon recently. Al-Rahi said: “We strongly condemn and condemn (the incident) and we offer condolences to his friendly country, family and the Irish team, the commander of the international forces and their soldiers. We also wish a speedy recovery for their injured members.” He stressed that the incident only serves to tarnish the image of Lebanon, calling on the Lebanese authorities to open a transparent investigation to uncover the truth. Al-Rahi expressed regret for what he described as the “selective” implementation of UN resolutions, saying: “It is highly selective, arbitrary and restricted by the decision of the forces of the fait, while the state compensates for its wounds and limits its capabilities to the benefit of others.”
Over the years, there have been a number of incidents between Hezbollah supporters and UN peacekeepers, but they rarely escalated, the paper reported. Wafiq Safa, a Hezbollah security official, said on Thursday that the incident was “unintentional” and called on investigators to give enough time to establish the facts.
