India on Monday strongly criticised recent attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, saying their safety must be treated as a top priority in conflict zones.
The remarks come as violence intensifies along the Blue Line, with back-to-back incidents involving UN personnel triggering global concern and calls for accountability.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, said peacekeepers operate in difficult environments under a UN mandate and deserve full protection. “Peacekeeping is multilateralism in action. The safety and security of the Peacekeepers must be a priority,” he said in a post on X.
He added that India had led efforts at the UN Security Council through Resolution 2589, aimed at ensuring accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. Condemning the latest incidents involving the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), he said India stands with the global community and paid tribute to the fallen “Blue Helmets”.
Back-to-back attacks deepen crisis
According to UNIFIL, a peacekeeper was killed and another critically injured after a projectile hit a UN position near Adchit Al Qusayr in southern Lebanon on Sunday. The source of the projectile remains unknown, and an investigation is underway.
In a fresh escalation, UNIFIL later confirmed that two more peacekeepers were killed and two others injured after an explosion of unknown origin struck their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon. This marks the second fatal incident involving the mission’s personnel within 24 hours.
The UN mission said an investigation has been launched and stressed that attacks on peacekeepers could amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law and obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
In a separate development, France called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council after what it described as “extremely serious incidents” involving peacekeepers.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said attacks had killed and injured several personnel, including Indonesian peacekeepers. He termed the incidents near UN positions “unacceptable and unjustifiable” and demanded a full investigation.
France also raised concerns over incidents involving its own contingent in Naqoura, alleging intimidation by Israeli forces despite established coordination mechanisms. Paris has conveyed its objections to Israel’s ambassador.
The Israel Defense Forces said it is reviewing the incidents, adding that they occurred in an active combat zone, and it should not be assumed that Israeli forces were responsible. The military said its operations are directed against Hezbollah, not UN personnel.