UN Peacekeeper Killed by ’Israeli’ Shelling on South Lebanon: Spain Blames Tel Aviv
Local Editor
As "Israel" continued its aggression against the Lebanese sovereignty by shelling the southern border areas, a UN peacekeeper was killed on Wednesday.
In response, the UN Security Council condemned the death of a Spanish UN peacekeeper during the "Israeli" shelling.The Council condemned his death in the strongest terms and offered its deepest sympathies. Spain's ambassador blamed "Israel" directly for the death of the peacekeeper, identified as 36-year-old Corporal Francisco Javier Soria Toledo.
"It was because of this escalation of violence, and it came from the "Israeli" side," Spanish Ambassador Roman Oyarzun Marchesi told reporters.
The incident happened in Lebanese Ghajar. The peacekeeper, serving with a UN monitoring force in southern Lebanon, was killed as "Israel" responded with air strikes and artillery fire to an operation by Hizbullah against Zionist soldiers in the Occupied Shebaa Farms.
Asked from which side the fire which caused the explosion originated, Spanish Ambassador Roman Oyarzun Marchesi told reporters, "I made it clear [...] it came from the "Israeli" side".
The Spanish envoy said he had asked for a full investigation during an emergency meeting of the council called by France to discuss ways to defuse tensions between "Israel" and Lebanon.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo stated that once his government had enough information about how the soldier had died, "its hand will not shake when it comes to demand full responsibilities" for the killing.
Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL] stated that the cause of the peacekeeper's death is under investigation.
Hence, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for "maximum calm and restraint," urging all sides to "act responsibly to prevent any escalation in an already tense regional environment," a UN statement said.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre commented on the incident by saying: "Our objective is to engage toward de-escalation and to prevent further escalation of the situation."
France presented a draft statement to council members. The council issued a terse condemnation of the peacekeeper's death and made no mention of de-escalation efforts.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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