French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has labelled a deadly attack on soldiers with the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL in Lebanon a war crime.
“To attack UN blue helmets, soldiers of peace who are clearly identifiable in the field, is not only a war crime, but also an affront to the entire international community,” Barrot said on France Info.
This is because the international community grants the peacekeepers their mandate, the minister added.
Two French soldiers died as a result of Saturday’s attack. Two others were injured.
According to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the troops came under fire while clearing explosive devices from a road in Lebanon’s south.
A preliminary assessment by UNIFIL indicated that Hezbollah fighters were responsible for the attack. Israel’s military said its intelligence also pointed to Hezbollah gunmen opening fire.
Hezbollah, however, denied any responsibility for the incident over the weekend.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry promised a thorough investigation of the incident by Lebanese authorities.
UNIFIL’s peacekeepers, often known as “blue helmets” for their distinctive headgear, have monitored the border area between Israel and Lebanon since 1978.
There have repeatedly been deaths and injuries among their ranks. A few weeks ago, two Indonesian soldiers from the UNIFIL mission were killed in an explosion.
