Washington Condemns in ‘Strongest Terms’ Attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon

Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)
Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Washington Condemns in ‘Strongest Terms’ Attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon

Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)
Irish UN peacekeepers check the site where a UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)

The United States condemned in the strongest terms the violent attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers on Wednesday that left one Irish service member dead and three wounded.

It called upon the Lebanese government to urgently investigate the attack, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent such incidents from reoccurring.

The Department of State said in a statement that violence against peacekeepers is “unconscionable,” puts Lebanese civilians at risk, and jeopardizes stability in southern Lebanon.

Washington sent its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died and hoped for the speedy recovery of those woundedd.

The attack was considered “multidimensional” message, given the UNIFIL’s recently extended mandate, the internal crisis in Iran due to the ongoing popular protests that threaten its regime and the presidential elections in Lebanon that are associated with the economic and living crises.

The attack was considered a “bloody message” to the UN forces, in objection to changing the rules of its cooperation with the Lebanese army in September. .

The UNIFIL’s patrols no longer need to coordinate with the army or accompany its elements, which concerned the Lebanese Hezbollah, which insists on this continued cooperation so that the UNIFIL does not become an “occupation force,” as stated by its leaders.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Tony Badran, a senior researcher at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, said this insistence proves the depth of the “dependency-based” relation between the army and Hezbollah.

He affirmed that Biden administration considers the commander of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun, the best presidential candidate, and so does France, which is in truce with Tehran.

Iran gained new interests and investments following the signing of the demarcation agreement and Total’s taking over the leadership of a gas exploration consortium.

According to Badran, Hezbollah and Joseph Aoun are not enemies and share a long-term relationship of cooperation, sponsored by the US through the aid policy it adopts.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.