The team were on a routine supply mission when the strike occurred, causing two members to be hurt by broken glass from their vehicle.
In a statement, defence minister Khaled Nordin said the incident occurred at 9.25am local time about 1km west of the United Nations Peacekeeping base in Tibnin.
He said the Malbatt team were on a routine supply mission headed toward Tyre when the strike occurred, causing two personnel to be hurt by broken glass from their vehicle.
Two UN vehicles suffered exterior damage from the strike.
“A Malbatt quick response force was activated to assist the personnel involved, recover the vehicles and bring them back to base.
“Both personnel who were hurt in the incident underwent medical checks and are in stable condition. No serious injuries or loss of life were reported. Their families have also been informed about the incident,” he said.
Khaled said the Malbatt team will heighten its precautionary measures, including tightening convoy movement procedures and improving coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or Unifil.
The Malbatt team has encountered several near-misses over the past few months. In March, it was ordered to retreat after its control post was damaged in an Israeli airstrike. There were also explosions near its headquarters about two weeks later but the team was unharmed.
In April, foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia will request that UN review the terms of deployment for peacekeeping missions under Unifil, including Malbatt 850-13.
Mohamad said the situation in Lebanon was no longer conducive for a peacekeeping mission, raising concerns over the safety of more than 500 Malbatt personnel stationed there.
It was previously reported that three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in two blasts in southern Lebanon in late March. The blasts also wounded several other Unifil personnel, including from France, Ghana, Nepal, and Poland. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.