By Tala Ramadan
DUBAI (Reuters) – A large group of civilians wielding metal rods and axes attacked a patrol of U.N. troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, causing damage to U.N. vehicles but no injuries, a United Nations peacekeeping force said.
The U.N. troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding the patrol had been on a routine operation between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbat Silim.
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident, escorting the patrol back to base.
UNIFIL said the patrol had been pre-planned and coordinated with the LAF.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission stressed that its mandate, under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, guarantees freedom of movement in its area of operations with or without LAF accompaniment.
On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon. UNIFIL said the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November.
(Reporting by Tala Ramadan and Ahmed Elimam, Editing by William Maclean)
