An Irish Army officer was being treated for serious injuries in hospital in Israel last night, following an attack in south Lebanon.Comdt Harry O'Connor is serving with the United Nation's Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO).
He and three colleagues were patrolling the disputed area of Shebaa Farms when they were attacked by members of Hizbullah - the Lebanese armed resistance group. Shebaa Farms, close to the Israeli border has been a fire zone between Hizbullah and the Israeli army in recent days.
Comdt O'Connor, two Norwegian officers and one French officer were acting as international observers and were unarmed. There was no gunfire but three of the four officers were injured. Comdt O'Connor's injuries were the greatest but were not life-threatening, a Defence Forces spokesman said yesterday.
He received serious injuries to his head, ribs and arms.Witnesses said Hizbollah men beat the observers with sticks and their fists, but a UN official in New York said they had also used rifle butts.
Comdt O'Connor received initial treatment from Indian peacekeepers and was then taken to the UNIFIL HQ in Naqoura. From there, he was transferred to a hospital in northern Israel for further treatment. Comdt O'Connor is on a two-year tour of duty in south Lebanon. His wife travelled with him to south Lebanon and was at his beside yesterday. Comdt O'Connor is in his 30s and is originally from Kerry.
Armed Irish troops pulled out of Lebanon last year but 13 Irish officers are serving as military observers with UNTSO. Just last Monday, an Irish man, Maj Gen Carl Dodd, was promoted to chief of staff of the UNTSO mission. UN chief spokesman, Mr Fred Eckhard, said the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, "strongly condemns the deliberate assault this morning by Hizbullah elements on unarmed UN military observers". The UN had received a "profound apology from Hizbullah, along with assurances that this will never happen again," Mr Eckhard said.
The Lebanese government had also expressed full support for the work of the UN peacekeepers" he said, adding that UNIFIL had requested an investigation of the incident "at the highest level."
Mr Annan reminded all parties of their responsibility for the safety of UN peacekeepers and reiterated concerns that "any escalation of the tensions along the blue line could have serious consequences for peace and security in the region," Mr Eckhard said. - (additional reporting Reuters)
