HIGHMILITARYVERIFIED
Two UNIFIL peacekeepers killed near Bani Hayyan — vehicle destroyed by explosion of unknown origin
·Near Bani Hayyan, south Lebanon
Two UN peacekeepers were killed after an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon on March 30. UNIFIL confirmed the deaths. The incident marks the 3rd and 4th UNIFIL peacekeepers killed in Lebanon since D30, bringing total UN deaths to at least 3 over two days. France has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
Two UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed on March 30 after an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL confirmed in a statement. The incident follows the D30 killing of an Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeeper at a UN position near Adchit Al Qusayr. Reuters reported the cumulative toll as 'three UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon' across the two incidents. The origin of the explosion that destroyed the Bani Hayyan vehicle remains unattributed — UNIFIL stated cause as 'unknown.' The pattern of UNIFIL casualties over D30–D31 prompted French Foreign Minister Barrot to request an emergency UN Security Council meeting, describing the incidents as 'extremely serious.' France is UNIFIL's largest European troop contributor. Israel has not commented on either incident; IDF operations in south Lebanon are ongoing as it expands the 'security zone' in the area.
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Actor responses
UNIFIL confirms injuries near Bani Hayyan; nature of attack unspecified; second UNIFIL casualty incident in two days
Sources