Middle East Swiss safe after shelling of UN headquarters in Lebanon

Following the shelling of the headquarters of the UN mission Unifil in southern Lebanon by Israeli troops, the three Swiss military observers on the ground are safe and sound. Two UN soldiers were injured in the shelling in Nakura on Thursday.

The shelling occurred in a remote part of the large camp of the UN blue helmet troops in the border area between Lebanon and Israel, as Swissint Head of Communications Daniel Seckler reported on Friday. Swissint is responsible for Swiss military peacebuilding missions.

The three Swiss officers in southern Lebanon work as military observers, so-called blue berets. Unlike the UN blue helmets, blue berets are unarmed.

There are 13 Swiss blue berets stationed throughout the Middle East. In addition to Lebanon, they are stationed in Israel, Syria and Egypt. They are also deployed in Jordan, but according to Seckler, there are currently no Swiss army personnel there.

SDA