An Irish United Nations peacekeeper was killed and several others were wounded after unknown gunmen opened fire on a convoy heading to Beirut, which caused a vehicle to flip, late Wednesday night.
#Lebanon ??: Armed men (claimed to be #Hezbollah, not confirmed) opened fire on the vehicle of the UN Peacekeepers on the way to #Beirut, killing 1 #Irish soldier as a result.
Armed men likely used 7.62x39mm AK-platform rifles, which are rather common. pic.twitter.com/5yDrEiSA8Y
— War Noir (@war_noir) December 15, 2022
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) did not provide many details when it released a statement on the shooting, only saying that “a peacekeeper was killed and three others were injured in an incident in Al-Aqbieh, just outside UNIFIL’s area of operations in south Lebanon.” The statement also offered condolences to the family of the killed peacekeeper and added that “Our thoughts are also with the local civilians who may have been injured or frightened in the incident.”
The statement concluded by saying “At the moment, details are sparse and conflicting. We are coordinating with the Lebanese Armed Forces, and have launched an investigation to determine exactly what happened.”
Well what happened?
It is with deep regret that Óglaigh na hÉireann can confirm the death of one of our peacekeepers in a serious incident in Lebanon last night.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/YrnFOVBjkV
— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) December 15, 2022
According to the Irish Defense Forces a convoy of two Armored Utility Vehicles (AUVs) carrying eight UN personnel of the 121st Infantry Battalion were heading to Beirut Wednesday night. The purpose of the trip was to transport two members to the Beirut airport to return home to Ireland on compassionate grounds due to deaths in their families, Irish Defence Forces Chief of Staff Seán Clancy told RTE.
Associated Press, citing a personal familiar with the investigation into the shooting, reported that the convoy took a detour through the town of Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the area under UNIFIL’s mandate. At a UN Security Council meeting, Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney stated that “The vehicles, for whatever reason, got separated, and then one of the vehicles was surrounded by what I can only describe as a mob, who were very aggressive towards the vehicles.” The convoy came under small arms fire at about 11:15 pm local time.
As the vehicles came under fire, Private Seán Rooney, 23, of Newtwoncunningham, was fatally shot in the head. While attempting to escape the gunfire, one of the AUVs crashed and flipped. In total, three other peacekeepers were wounded, one of which critically, and taken to the hospital, according to the Irish Defense Forces. It remains unclear if all of the casualties were from the same vehicle. It also remains unclear how fast UNIFIL response times were to the location of the shooting.
Óglaigh na hÉireann can confirm the name of the the soldier killed on active service whilst serving in UNIFIL this morning.
869674 Private Seán Rooney, a member of the 27 Infantry Battalion and a native of Newtwoncunningham, Co Donegal.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. pic.twitter.com/j7N6l7F6i6
— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) December 15, 2022
Two videos of the incident have begun to circulate online. One of which shows one of the UN vehicles speeding down a road as it came under fire from what was mostly likely an AK platform rifle. The other shows the aftermath from one of the AUVs flipping, where a peacekeeper can be seen wounded outside of the vehicle.
While the area is known for having a strong Hezbollah presence, the group has denied involvement. Pro-Hezbollah media have accused the convoy of hitting residents that were outside watching the World Cup match, which resulted in the shooting.
Irish, Lebanese, and UN officials have all launched investigations into the incident.
