Lebanon’s United Nations Peacekeeping Force said its outgoing deputy commander was injured after being “furiously attacked.”
The United Nations Interim Force at the United Nations Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement that the convoy’s goal was to bring peacekeeping personnel to Beirut airport, and one of the vehicles caught fire.
The mission calls for a “full and direct” investigation into the Lebanese authorities.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Lebanese troops both condemned the attack on Unifil and said they would work to arrest those involved.
Several videos shared online show a group of white UN vehicles, a group of young men, holding yellow flags, chasing and defeating peacekeepers trying to escape.
Separate video shows a group of people yelling as they kick, hit and climb a convoy of three combined vehicles along a dark road.
Unifil’s injured deputy commander was unnamed and returned home after the mission was completed, the statement said.
It added: “We are shocked that we have been in the difficult times to restore the maintenance and stability of security and stability in southern Lebanon.”
“Assaults on peacekeeping personnel are flagrant violations of international law and may constitute war crimes. We require the Lebanese authorities to conduct a comprehensive and immediate investigation and require all perpetrators to be brought to justice.”
Supporters of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have gathered outside Beirut airport since Thursday’s deadlock between Lebanon and Iran, two Iranian planes have been banned from landing in the Lebanese capital.
The problem left dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Iran.
The Amar movement, which is aligned with Hezbollah, said: “The attack on Unifil is an attack on southern Lebanon” and described it as a “sting of civil peace.”
Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar told state media that he would call it a “crime against peacekeeping forces” based on the attacks.
Unifil was created to monitor buffers established near the border with Israel after the end of the Lebanese War in 2006 and to have posts throughout southern Lebanon.
