A United Nations peacekeeping vehicle was torched in Lebanon on Friday amid a second day of protests by Hezbollah supporters in Beirut.
The outgoing force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was injured after a convoy taking peacekeepers to the airport was “violently attacked” on Friday, the mission said.
“Attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crimes,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
“We demand a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice,” the statement added.
The Lebanese army vowed to take firm action against those responsible for torching the UNIFIL vehicle.
“Several areas, particularly the area around the airport… have been the scene of demonstrations marked by acts of vandalism and clashes, including assaults on members of the armed forces and attacks against vehicles,” the army said on social media.
Hezbollah supporters block airport access
Earlier this week, Lebanon prevented an Iranian flight from landing in Beirut after the Israeli military accused Iran of using civilian flights to smuggle cash to Hezbollah.
The new Lebanese government was formed without the participation of the Iran-backed Shiite political party Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries. Meanwhile, the EU considers only the group’s militant wing to be a terror group.
Iran then said it would not allow Lebanese flights to land until its own flights were cleared to land in Beirut.
Lebanon dispatched two planes on Friday from its own national airline, Middle East Airlines, to bring home stranded citizens, but Iran refused to allow the Lebanese aircraft to land in its territory.Â
The standoff has left dozens of Lebanese citizens stranded in Iran for days after attending a religious pilgrimage.
In response to the standoff, dozens of Hezbollah supporters blocked the road to Lebanon’s only civilian airport on Thursday night and on Friday.Â
Hezbollah parliamentarian Ibrahim al-Moussawi on Thursday called on the Lebanese government to “take the necessary measures to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty over all its public facilities, most importantly the airport.”
Torching of UNIFIL vehicle threatens stability
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert described the incident on Friday as “unacceptable.”
“Such an act of violence threatens the safety of United Nations staff who work tirelessly to maintain stability in Lebanon, sometimes at great personal risk,” she said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Amal movement, which is an ally of Hezbollah, said, “The attack on UNIFIL is an attack on southern Lebanon.”
It described the blocking of the roads as “a stab at civil peace.”
Hezbollah played a dominant role in Lebanese politics until last year when its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed by an Israeli strike. It also lost a key provider of support when Bashar Assad was overthrown in Syria in January.
Edited by Sean M. Sinico