Key facts
- A Serbian UN peacekeeper died from wounds sustained in mortar shelling in Lebanon.
- Two other UN peacekeepers were wounded in the incident.
A Serbian UN peacekeeper died from mortar shelling in southeastern Lebanon, marking the seventh peacekeeper killed since March. Two others were wounded. The UN condemned the attack, while Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire and Israel stated it would not withdraw troops.
The killing of a UN peacekeeper and the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel highlight the volatile security situation in Lebanon and pose a risk to regional stability and international peacekeeping efforts.
A Serbian UN peacekeeper, Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, died on Thursday from wounds sustained when mortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon late the previous night. This marks the seventh peacekeeper killed in the country since March. Two other peacekeepers, one from El Salvador and one from Spain, were wounded in the incident. Hostilities between the pro-Iran Hezbollah movement and Israel reignited in Lebanon on March 2. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes, emphasizing that those responsible must be held accountable. The incident is under investigation, with an initial assessment indicating indirect fire from north of the Litani River. Hezbollah rejected a new ceasefire on Thursday, and Israel stated it would not withdraw troops, undermining U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to halt fighting. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing and stressed the need for a continued UN presence in Lebanon.