Hezbollah reportedly turned over a suspect in the shooting of a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy that left one peacekeeper dead last week.
An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the incident “called for raising the level of coordination between the Lebanese army and international forces”.
Pvt. Seán Rooney, 23, was killed and three others wounded when unidentified attackers opened fire on their convoy as it passed near the southern town of Al-Aqbiya on December 14. The area is a stronghold of the Hezbollah party.
UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz said he had demanded a transparent probe into the attack from the moment it happened.
He called for the arrest of the shooters and bringing them to justice, saying he was obligated to provide answers to the UN in New York over what truly happened.
The official sources quoted UNIFIL officials as saying that swift measures are need to arrest the perpetrators and prove that the attack was not premeditated.
Even if the convoy lost its way or changed course, that does not justify murder, they added.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army commander Joseph Aoun had paid a visit to the UNIFIL headquarters in al-Naqoura in wake of the attack. They also held a series of contacts that have apparently helped ease the tensions, but will continue to fall short of UN demands if the perpetrators remain at large.
A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the probe has drawn up a picture of the circumstances of the attack and all will be revealed “soon”.
The judiciary is working closely with UNIFIL and it will soon be revealed whether the attack was premeditated or not, it added.
Investigators have heard the testimonies of the peacekeepers that survived the attack and the reasons that prompted the convoy to change its route, it said.
Former Lebanese Ambassador to Washington Riad Tabbara told Asharq Al-Awsat that so far, there are no concerns that the peacekeepers will pull out of southern Lebanon or reduce their numbers.
However, should the attack prove to have been premeditated, then that would mean that a “very dangerous” phase in dealing with these forces had been launched, he warned.
UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, neighbors which remain technically at war. The force operates near the southern border.
Witnesses said villagers in the Al-Aqbiya area blocked Rooney's vehicle after it took a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by UNIFIL.
Al-Aqbiya is just outside UNIFIL's area of operations.
