Peacekeepers killed by roadside explosion in Lebanon, initial report finds

Peacekeepers killed by roadside explosion in Lebanon, initial report finds 7 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Anna Lamche Reuters The UN's peacekeeping force patrols the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel, in collaboration with the Lebanese army Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday by a "roadside explosion" in southern Lebanon, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix has said, citing the findings of an initial investigation. In a separate statement, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said the explosion was of "unknown origin" and "destroyed" the peacekeepers' vehicle near Bani Hayyan. A third peacekeeper was "severely" injured in the explosion, and a fourth was hurt, Unifil said. It was the second such fatal incident in 24 hours. Another peacekeeper - who was also Indonesian - was killed on Sunday when a projectile, also of unknown origin, exploded in Adchit Al Qusayr, southern Lebanon. Unifil said it had launched investigations to determine what happened in both incidents. The findings of an "initial" investigation into the incident on Monday "point to a roadside explosion striking the convoy", Lacroix told the UN Security Council earlier. Their deaths had "most likely" been caused by an IED (improvised explosive device), Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, later said at a briefing. …