A Serbian United Nations peacekeeper has died after mortar shells struck a UN position near the southeastern Lebanese town of Marjayoun, marking the seventh peacekeeper killed since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reignited earlier this year.
The attack occurred late Wednesday night and also left two other UN peacekeepers injured, according to the United Nations.
The wounded soldiers, serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), are from El Salvador and Spain.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric identified the fallen peacekeeper as Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic of Serbia’s 27th Mechanized Battalion.
He said Jovanovic was on his first peacekeeping mission and would have celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
“Attacks on peacekeepers must stop,” Dujarric said, describing such actions as serious violations of international humanitarian law that could amount to war crimes.
An investigation into the incident is underway. Preliminary findings indicate the UN position was struck by indirect fire originating from north of the Litani River, though officials have not publicly identified who was responsible.
The deadly attack comes as efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon face fresh setbacks. Hezbollah on Thursday rejected a newly proposed truce, while Israel signaled it would maintain its military presence in parts of Lebanon, complicating diplomatic efforts led by the United States.
Fighting between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and Israel resumed in early March and has continued despite repeated international calls for restraint.
The latest violence has also renewed concerns about the safety of peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL has operated for decades to help monitor stability along the border.
Earlier this week, Guterres urged members of the UN Security Council to support maintaining a continued UN peacekeeping presence in Lebanon beyond the expiration of UNIFIL’s current mandate at the end of the year.
The death of Jovanovic underscores the growing risks facing peacekeepers as the conflict shows little sign of easing.
