Latest news with #UNPeacekeepers
The National
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
South Lebanese watched war next door in Israel while still facing attacks from their neighbour
For 20-odd days last autumn, Lt Col Alok Kumar Singh and his 70 fellow UN peacekeepers were trapped at their Unifil base in Shebaa village as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah raged around them. From their vantage point 1,385 metres above sea level they were able to observe the culmination of a nearly year-long war between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group that reduced many towns and villages across southern Lebanon to rubble. 'We saw the movement of various Israeli vehicles in the vicinity of this post. And then there was a tank which was firing from that [hilltop],' Lt Col Singh says, pointing into the distance and then to a map showing where artillery shells had landed in the area. 'It was difficult, definitely it was difficult. But we were following the procedures, the alert levels,' he says. The peacekeepers spent many hours sheltering in the base's fortified bunkers, unable to conduct their usual patrols or receive fresh supplies. More than six months later, the Unifil soldiers are back on their patrols amid the comparative calm that has followed a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in November. Lt Col Singh says the patrols are conducted in co-ordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), which has increased its deployment in southern Lebanon to ensure the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the region, collect its weaponry and dismantle its military sites; all conditions of the US-brokered truce. However Israel has continued to conduct air strikes inside Lebanon on a near daily basis. The Israeli army says the attacks target Hezbollah figures, weapons and military sites, but they have also killed civilians and destroyed infrastructure. On Friday, at least one civilian was killed and 20 injured in Israeli strikes near the city of Nabatieh. Despite these attacks, residents of the south who fled the war have returned to their wrecked homes and villages. Lt Col Singh points to an Israeli base on a ridge opposite the Unifil base, from where Israeli soldiers opened fire a week ago. In the valley below sits Shebaa Farms, an Israeli-occupied sliver of land claimed by both Syria and Lebanon that has long been the scene of sporadic clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli troops. His finger moves left to Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an area seized from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war. Another UN peacekeeping force is deployed there to monitor a buffer zone between Israeli-occupied territory and Syria, established under a ceasefire agreement following a war between the two countries in 1973. Despite this, Israeli troops invaded the zone after former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December. Mount Hermon is also visible from Deir Mimas – a small Lebanese village to the south-west that sits about 2km from the UN-demarcated border between Israel and south Lebanon. Israeli troops entered the village in late September as Israel ramped up its response to Hezbollah's cross-border fire with a ground invasion of border areas and intensified bombardment across Lebanon. Footage emerged of Israeli soldiers desecrating a church in the village. The end of September should have been the time of the olive harvest in the picturesque village, perched above a steep valley from where Hezbollah would launch rockets at Israel. Instead, its residents fled. 'Some trees were damaged by the missiles,' said Michel Bechara, an olive farmer from Deir Mimas who decided to remain in Beirut. 'Others don't carry olives because of the bombs that came. 'Some people moved back to the south, but definitely life is not that stable there." Though Israeli troops have left the village, they continue to occupy five points of Lebanese territory along the border, in another violation of the ceasefire. 'We've had enough' Beirut resident Hassan Fakih says Israel's continuing attacks weigh on his mind as he awaits the arrival of his brother with his family for their annual visit to the family home in south Lebanon. His concerns rose after Israel launched devastating air strikes on Iran on June 13 and Iran responded with drone and missile attacks. The 12-day war sparked fears of a wider regional conflict before it ended this week after US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire. The war provided Lebanese with the rare sight of Tel Aviv being struck. 'People were running in Tel Aviv. A lot of people's homes are destroyed, it looks like south Lebanon,' said Mr Fakih, who admitted to a sense of satisfaction at seeing the tables turned. 'But I'm happy it was not Hezbollah doing it. We've had enough,' he said. The same sentiment was expressed by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Qatar's capital on Tuesday. Like aircraft across the region, his flight to Doha was diverted the previous evening as Iran launched missiles at the Al Udeid American airbase in Qatar in retaliation for the US bombing of its nuclear sites at the weekend. "We thank God for having succeeded, over the past two weeks, in preventing Lebanon from being drawn into a new war. We now aspire to open a new page of diplomatic action," Mr Salam told reporters. 'Normality has returned' Hezbollah, severely weakened by Israel's attack's, ultimately did not intervene in support of its patron. The group has vacated its most threatening positions in the south and much of its arsenal is believed to have been destroyed by Israel. On the outskirts of a town to the north of Nabatieh, near a bridge across a small ravine, a mound of dirt visible in the distance indicates where a major Hezbollah tunnel was destroyed earlier this year, according to a local. 'It was big,' he says. 'But not Emad-4,' he adds, referring to a large underground tunnel facility seen in a video Hezbollah released last year. As incoming missiles triggered sirens across northern Israel during the war with Iran, farmers across the border in Lebanon were harvesting fields of wheat that line the road running north of the battered town of Khiam and then east to the Unifil base in Shebaa 'The difference between now and the [Hezbollah] war is that at that time the LAF was not here, the civilians had moved out. Shebaa, the village, was empty," Lt Col Singh says. 'But after the war, the LAF came in, they have occupied all the posts that were there. The civilians have come – they are now into a normal routine and have celebrated Eid and had their festivals. 'Normality, we can call it, has returned.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
‘He was perfect, a one-off': Pensioner killed in London is remembered as proud Kilkenny man
John Mackey, the 87-year-old Irish man who died after being attacked while walking home from grocery shopping in north London, will be remembered as a man 'with a twinkle in his eye', his funeral heard on Thursday. Originally from Callan, Co Kilkenny, Mr Mackey had been living in London since the age of 19. He was running errands on the afternoon of May 6th when he was allegedly assaulted near his home close to Goodchild Road. He suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital two days later. On Thursday, his remains were carried into the Church of the Assumption in his south Kilkenny hometown by six pallbearers, a number of whom were his nephews. READ MORE A guard of honour was provided by retired Irish UN peacekeepers, as one of Mr Mackey's brothers is a former member. His coffin was adorned with two flags, representing his beloved Arsenal Football Club and the county colours of Kilkenny. There was also a photograph of Mr Mackey wearing his trilby hat. Mementos of his life were brought to the altar by members of his extended family. Parish priest Fr William Dalton said Mr Mackey's trilby exemplified how he had always been a dapper dresser with a love of good clothes. The Callan flag, and a book on the town by John Fitzgerald that had brought Mr Mackey memories of his beloved county, were included, as well as a photo of him with two nephews and his brother Christy. John Mackey worked as a postman in Callan before moving to England where he became a loyal part of the Irish community, his funeral heard. Photograph: Sarah Murphy There were his rosary beads which were said to have helped him through his long, happy and fruitful life. Fr Dalton told mourners they were there 'to say farewell as a person with faith which helped him through a long and happy life'. 'When we think of the Mackeys in the 1930s and 1940s, a family of 11 children, six boys and five girls, a very Catholic family. Their mother died when the eldest of the children was 15 and to make matters worse their father was taken from them. It was a time when there were no social services and no children's allowance, but they were able to survive,' he said. He recalled how their sister Kitty reared the children, enabling them to live together as a family. 'Most of them in time went to England with some returning.' Mr Mackey, he said, had worked as a postman in Callan before moving to England in 1956 where he worked for a pharmaceutical company. 'There he would spend his life and would become immersed in the culture [and] integrated into society. He became a devout Arsenal fan and a loyal part of the Irish community there. Part of him will always be with us, even though there is a void, the memories of him will always be with us.' In her eulogy, his sister Betty recalled how her brother had been well-known in Callan before his departure. Pat, the eldest of Mr Mackey's 22 nieces and nephews remembered 'the perfect uncle' who 'always had a twinkle in his eye, always smelling of lovely aftershave'. 'He was a new age man, many [women] had tried to get him to the altar but failed. One woman almost got him there, but John forgot his wallet on Christmas Eve at 4.55pm and the jewellers were closing,' she said. She recalled spending time with him in Finsbury Park, trying to get him to eat Chinese food. 'But, no, he had to have his fry with chips. We all remember such happy times, he was a one-off. We are so incredibly lucky to have had him as our uncle.' Mr Mackey was one of 11 siblings and is survived by four. He was buried in Kilbride Cemetery. A man has been arrested and charged with Mr Mackey's murder and with robbery.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
UN peacekeeper killed in attack by armed men in Central African Republic
DAKAR, Senegal — A United Nations peacekeeper was killed during an attack by armed men in Central African Republic , the UN said on Tuesday as the Security Council expressed concerns over growing attacks against peacekeepers in the country. A Zambian peacekeeper was killed Friday when suspected Sudanese armed groups attacked a U.N. peacekeeping patrol team close to the country's northern border with Sudan in the village of Am-Sissia 1, according to a statement from the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Send in armed UN troops to protect aid convoys or risk ‘dystopia', says expert
UN peacekeepers should be routinely deployed to protect aid convoys from attack in places such as Gaza and Sudan, a senior United Nations expert has proposed. With starvation increasingly used as a weapon of war, Michael Fakhri said armed UN troops were now required to ensure that food reached vulnerable populations. 'I'm calling for the UN general assembly to authorise peacekeepers to accompany humanitarian convoys,' said the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food. Fakhri's call for intervention comes amid deepening concern over the increased targeting of aid convoys in Africa and the Middle East. The UN's human rights office said it was 'deeply disturbed' by the rising number of attacks, warning that any attempt to block aid or target humanitarians was a war crime. Recently, humanitarian convoys have been deliberately targeted in Central African Republic and also in Haiti in the Caribbean. Earlier this month, a UN aid convoy of 15 trucks – the first attempt to reach the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher for a year – was attacked, killing five people. The most high-profile obstruction of aid, however, involves the Gaza Strip. Three months ago, Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade on Gaza, cutting off food and other critical supplies to the Palestinian territory. Aid convoys entering Gaza have also been repeatedly attacked. Fakhri said that unless there was concerted international intervention to protect aid delivery throughout the world, humanitarian organisations would eventually cease distribution, creating a 'dystopia'. He said the UN security council, which passed a resolution in 2018 condemning the unlawful denial of aid to civilians, had been rendered ineffective because members kept vetoing attempts to help. 'Where the security council is blocked by a veto, the general assembly has the authority to call for peacekeepers,' said Fakhri. He said such a move could happen quickly with a majority vote of the 193 member states required – a proportion that Fakhri predicted would easily be reached. 'What the general assembly would do is politically implement what countries are already obliged to do.' Frustration over the lack of international action to safeguard vital aid supplies – particularly in Gaza – has forced activists to take matters into their own hands. Last week, a yacht attempted to break the Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza but was prevented by Israel. On the same day the boat was intercepted, a land aid convoy set off from Tunisia with the similar intention of breaking Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory. In Africa, aid delivery in Sudan has become increasingly fraught as key routes are blocked or attacked while aid facilities and humanitarian workers have been targeted. Jeremy Laurence, a Geneva-based spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said: 'We are deeply disturbed by the intentional obstruction of aid trying to reach civilians from Gaza to Sudan and elsewhere, including through attacks on aid convoys. 'Worryingly, these practices appear to be on the increase,' Laurence said. 'Wilfully impeding relief supplies to starve civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime.' Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch described as 'horrifying' the spike in the frequency and severity of attacks on humanitarian workers. Louis Charbonneau, United Nations director at HRW, said:'Last year set a grim record for the number of humanitarian workers killed in conflict zones – more than 360 – most of them in Gaza but also in Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere.' Fakhri added: 'Whoever controls aid has a significant amount of power in a particular region and conflict.' He warned that if attacks continued then traditional aid distributors such as the UN could be forced to give up. 'It makes it less likely for the UN, for the international community, for the Red Cross, for civil society organisations, to do that work and then who will take over? These militarised operations seen in Gaza?' he said. Fakhri was referring to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israel-backed logistics group that aims to replace Gaza's UN-led food and humanitarian supply distribution network. Last Wednesday, Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza who were seeking food from a GHF distribution centre, with dozens more wounded. Charbonneau urged greater justice for attacks on humanitarians and aid convoys. 'One big motivator is impunity, which emboldens the governments of Israel, Russia, the warring parties in Sudan and others to target or fire indiscriminately at civilians, including humanitarian workers,' he said. 'The problem is they feel confident they can get away with it.'
RNZ News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Fijian in Abu Dhabi worried about Pacific communities in Middle East
Kelepi Abariga Photo: Kelepi Abariga Fiji's Embassy in Abu Dhabi says its closely monitoring the situation in Iran and Israel as tensions remain high. Israel carried out a dozen strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites on Friday, claiming it acted out of self-defence, saying Iran is close to building a nuclear weapon. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel that "severe punishment" will follow. Fiji's Embassy in Abu Dhabi is urging the Fijian community there to remain calm, stay informed, and reach out to the Embassy should they have any concerns or require assistance during this period of heightened regional tensions. A Fiji national in Abu Dhabi said he's yet to hear how other Pacific communities in the Middle East are coping amid the Israel-Iran conflict. Speaking to Pacific Waves from Abu Dhabi, Fiji media specialist Kelepi Abariga said the situation is 'freaky and risky'. Abariga has lived in Abu Dhabi for over a decade and while he is far from the danger zones, he's concerned for his 'fellow Pacific people'. "I just hope they are safe as of now, this is probably the first time Israel has attacked Iran directly," he said. "Everybody thinks that Iran has a huge nuclear deposit with them, that they could use it against any country in the world. But you know, that is yet to be seen. "So right now, you know we from the Pacific, we're right in the middle of everything and I think you know, our safety is paramount." Fiji UN peacekeepers in the Middle East Photo: AFP/Ramzi Haidar Abariga isn't aware of any Pacific people in Tehran but said if they are, they are most likely working for an NGO or the United Nations. However, Abariga said there are Fiji nationals working at the International Christian embassy in Jerusalem and Solomon Island students south of Israel. He also said that the Fijian troops are stationed at Golan Heights near Israel. While Abariga describes Abu Dhabi as the safest country in the Middle East, he said the politics in the region is volatile. "It's been intense like that for all this time, and I think when you mention Iran in this country [UAE], they have all the differences so it's probably something that has started long way before."
