Ghanaian UN Peacekeepers Wounded in Lebanon Attack

Three United Nations peacekeepers from Ghana were injured on Friday after their base in southern Lebanon came under attack as hostilities between Israel and  Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah escalated. 

The incident occurred at a base in Qawzah and took place during intense exchanges of fire in the area, according to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). 

The mission said the peacekeepers were wounded while inside the base, noting that the most seriously injured soldier had been evacuated to a hospital in Beirut for medical treatment.

“Amidst heavy firing this evening, three peacekeepers were injured inside their base in… Qawzah.

“The most severely injured has been transferred to hospital in Beirut for treatment.”

The Ghana Armed Forces also confirmed that its battalion headquarters serving with the UN mission was struck by two missiles. The military said two soldiers were critically injured, while another suffered trauma following the attack. It added that the officers’ mess facility at the base was completely destroyed by fire.

Neither UNIFIL nor the Ghanaian military identified who was responsible for the attack, but the UN peacekeeping mission said an investigation would be carried out to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The force stressed that attacks on peacekeepers carrying out duties mandated by the United Nations Security Council were unacceptable.

“It is unacceptable that peacekeepers performing (UN) Security Council-mandated tasks are targeted,” it added.

Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, condemned what he described as Israeli attacks on the country, saying the strikes had gone as far as directly hitting a UN peacekeeping position.

French President Emmanuel Macron also criticised the incident after holding talks with leaders from Lebanon and Syria, describing the attack on the UN mission as unacceptable. 

He said France was coordinating with partners to prevent the conflict from widening across the region and emphasised the stabilising role played by the UN force.

Meanwhile, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, expressed concern over the incident and wished the injured personnel a swift recovery.

UNIFIL has operated for decades as a buffer force between Israel and Lebanon. 

The mission has also been supporting the Lebanese army in dismantling infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed group Hezbollah near the Israeli border following the conflict between the group and Israel in 2024.

The peacekeeping mission has announced plans to withdraw its forces from Lebanon by mid-2027.