The outgoing deputy commander of the UN peacekeeping power in Lebanon has been injured after protesters attacked a convoy close to Beirut airport.
Demonstrators have been blocking the street to the airport to protest towards a choice to revoke permission for a passenger aircraft from Iran to fly to Beirut on Thursday.
The transfer had left dozens of Lebanese passengers stranded.
The choice to ban the Iranian aircraft got here after the Israeli military issued an announcement claiming that Iran was smuggling money to the militant group Hezbollah through civilian flights.
Picture:
Scene of the convoy assault
An announcement from the United Nations Interim Power in Lebanon (UNFIL) stated: “We are shocked by this outrageous attack on peacekeepers who have been serving to restore security and stability to south Lebanon during a difficult time,” it stated.
It stated that the deputy commander – Main Common Chok Bahadur Dhakal from Nepal – had been set to go away the nation after finishing his mission when the UNIFIL convoy “was violently attacked, and a vehicle was set on fire”.
The Lebanese military stated in an announcement that performing commander Main Common Hassan Odeh had contacted UNIFIL and promised to “work to arrest the citizens who attacked its members and bring them to justice”.
Lebanon’s civil aviation company stated on Thursday that “additional security measures” meant some flights had been briefly rescheduled till 18 February.
