Americas

Americas

U.S. condemns attack on UN forces in Lebanon

10 December 2011 01:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The United States on Friday condemned the roadside bomb attack on the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, calling for an immediate investigation, APA reports referring Xinhua.

"The United States strongly supports the UN peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) and condemns Friday’s roadside bomb attack," the State Department said in a statement.

It called on the Lebanese government to immediately investigate and bring those responsible to account for this "reprehensible" attack, the third on the UN forces this year.

Five French soldiers and a Lebanese civilian were wounded in the powerful explosion in Lebanon’s southern coastal town of Tyre.

The 12,000-strong UNIFIL is responsible for monitoring the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1937, which ended a month-long war between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group in 2006.

"As part of its international obligations under UNSCR 1701, Lebanon must ensure its armed forces serve as Lebanon’s sole defense force with a monopoly on the use of force and the possession of arms. All other armed groups should be disarmed, as required in UNSCR 1559 and 1701," the State Department said.

The U.S. has branded the Hezbollah as a terrorist group.