FIVE FRENCH UN peacekeepers have been injured in a roadside bombing in Lebanon.
The Defence Forces say that no Irish personnel were injured in the attack. This morning’s bombing struck about 30km north-west of the Irish unit’s headquarters in Tibnin, south Lebanon.
Lebanese officials said that the attack occurred in the Bourj al-Shamali area near Tyre as the French troops passed in their UN vehicle. Five soldiers were injured, as was a Lebanese man who was passing by at the time of the explosion.
Today’s attack is the latest targeting UN peacekeepers in the area. In July, five French soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded as a UN convoy passed and in November a bomb exploded at a hotel used by UN staff, but no casualties were reported.
Over 200 Irish peacekeeping troops are currently deployed to Lebanon. Their participation in the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operation involves monitoring the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian access to civilians.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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