UNIFIL Deputy Commander Injured after Convoy Attacked by Hezbollah Supporters in Beirut

Firefighters extinguish a burning UNIFIL vehicle, set ablaze by protesters, on the road leading to Beirut's international airport on February 14, 2025. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
Firefighters extinguish a burning UNIFIL vehicle, set ablaze by protesters, on the road leading to Beirut's international airport on February 14, 2025. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
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UNIFIL Deputy Commander Injured after Convoy Attacked by Hezbollah Supporters in Beirut

Firefighters extinguish a burning UNIFIL vehicle, set ablaze by protesters, on the road leading to Beirut's international airport on February 14, 2025. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
Firefighters extinguish a burning UNIFIL vehicle, set ablaze by protesters, on the road leading to Beirut's international airport on February 14, 2025. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was attacked by Hezbollah supporters.

UNIFIL said the deputy commander — Maj. Gen. Chok Bahadur Dhakal from Nepal — had been set to leave the country after completing his mission when the UNIFIL convoy “was violently attacked, and a vehicle was set on fire.”

It demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it said in a statement.

The protest came after Iran barred Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Iran on Friday, in a standoff after Lebanon blocked an Iranian civilian flight.
Lebanon halted the flight to Beirut this week after the Israeli military accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm Hezbollah.
Iran said it would not allow Lebanese flights to land until its own flights were cleared to land in Beirut.
The standoff has left dozens of Lebanese citizens stranded in Iran for three days after attending a religious pilgrimage. They had been due to return to Beirut on Iran's Mahan Air before Lebanon barred the plane from landing.
Dozens of Hezbollah supporters cut off roads around Beirut's airport late on Thursday and Friday in protest.

Lebanon’s civil aviation agency said Thursday that “additional security measures” meant some flights were temporarily rescheduled until Feb. 18 -- the same day as a deadline for Israel and Hezbollah to fully implement the ceasefire agreement that ended their latest war in late November, including a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday the attack, saying security forces will not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilize the country, according to a statement by the president's office.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the army, in separate statements, condemned the attack too and said urgent measures would be taken to identify and arrest the attackers and prevent any violation of civil peace.
Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called for an emergency meeting before noon on Saturday to discuss the security situation.
"He affirmed the Lebanese government's rejection of this assault that is considered a crime against UNIFIL forces," NNA reported, citing the Lebanese minister.
He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.

The Amal Movement, the political party of parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said in a statement that “the attack on UNIFIL is an attack on southern Lebanon” and called for the army and security forces to pursue the perpetrators.
The United States also condemned the attack.

After blocking the Iranian flight, Lebanon dispatched two planes on Friday from its own national airliner Middle East Airlines to bring the stranded Lebanese home from Iran, but Iran refused to allow the Lebanese aircraft to land on its territory.
Iran's ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, told Iran's state television on Friday that Iran would allow the planes to land only if Iranian flights were allowed to travel to Beirut.



Lebanese State Will Not Rest Until Every Inch of Land is Liberated, Minister Says

Members of State Security Service stand guard outside a polling station during the municipal elections in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 4 May 2025.  EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Members of State Security Service stand guard outside a polling station during the municipal elections in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 4 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Lebanese State Will Not Rest Until Every Inch of Land is Liberated, Minister Says

Members of State Security Service stand guard outside a polling station during the municipal elections in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 4 May 2025.  EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Members of State Security Service stand guard outside a polling station during the municipal elections in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 4 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmed al-Hajjar stressed on Saturday that the Lebanese state is adamant to free all parts of its land occupied by Israel.
“The state will not find rest until all parts of the land are liberated”, the state-run National News Agency quoted al-Hajjar on Saturday.
He stressed that diplomatic channels in that regard are reassuring. “All diplomatic channels are reassuring. We adhere to the sovereignty of the state which stands strongly by its people”, said Hajjar during a visit to oversee the electoral process in the southern town of Shebaa.
The minister hailed “the strong will” of the Lebanese people to make a change in spite of the limited resources.

Israel demands to remain in five southern locations after a February 18 deadline for fully implementing a ceasefire deal that ended more than a year of Israel-Hezbollah hostilities.

The fourth and final phase of the municipal elections kicked off on Saturday in the South Lebanon and Nabatieh governorates, amid tight security measures enforced by the army and Internal Security Forces.
Local municipal elections began on May 4 in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, marking the first such elections in nine years after several postponements.