UNIFIL Patrol Pelted by Rocks in Aita al-Shaab
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon patrol was pelted by rocks by residents of the southern town of Aita al-Shaab as it was taking photographs of the area, reported the National News Agency on Friday.
Spokesman for the force Andrea Tenenti said that some 50 residents halted the patrol as it approached the area, surrounded it, and began pelting it with rocks.
No one was injured in the incident, but damage was incurred to the vehicles, he added.
UNIFIL Commander Major General Paolo Serra is has voiced his concern with the incident, which he interpreted as an obstruction of the forces' mobility in the South, continued the spokesman.
This jeopardizes its peacekeeping mission, he explained, while revealing that an investigation by UNIFIL and the army has been opened in the attack.
NNA said that the assault began when the patrol sought to take photographs of the Aita al-Shaab aarea.
The residents prevented the troops from taking the photographs, but the situation escalated into a verbal dispute that ended up with the locals pelting the patrol with rocks and destroying their cameras.
An Army Intelligence unit in Bint Jbeil soon intervened to resolve the situation as the patrol withdrew from the scene.
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