Eight Austrian soldiers were slightly injured in a rocket attack on the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqula, the Austrian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. In fact, UNIFIL was deployed to monitor hostilities along the border with Israel in southern Lebanon. The Ministry of National Defense said that in the afternoon, a rocket attacked the UNIFIL headquarters in Nakaura, causing a fire in the vehicle workshop. The peacekeepers were not in the bunker at the time.
Some peacekeepers were slightly injured in the attack. However, no one was seriously injured. The rocket was fired from north of UNIFIL headquarters and may have been fired by Hezbollah or an affiliated group. Austria has opened an investigation into the incident. It also stated that any deliberate attack on peacekeeping forces would seriously violate international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701.
“We strongly condemn this attack and demand that it be investigated immediately. The source of the attack is not yet known and no soldiers required immediate medical attention,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Let us tell you that Austria contributed about 180 soldiers out of a force of 10,000 soldiers. They are part of a multifunctional logistics unit and perform duties such as transport of goods and people, vehicle maintenance, fuel supply and firefighting. The attack comes amid heavy fighting on the border between Hezbollah and Israel, which is conducting a ground invasion in the region. An overnight Israeli attack in the eastern Bekaa Valley killed more than 60 people, according to Lebanese officials.
