A blue helmet soldier was killed when a projectile exploded in a UN peacekeeping position in Lebanon. Another was seriously injured in the incident in the south of the country, according to the UN monitoring mission Unifil. “No one who serves peace should lose his life,” warned the United Nations mission.
It was therefore initially unclear where the bullet came from. An investigation has been launched to clarify the exact circumstances. Attacks on Unifil troops constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law, the mission said.
In Lebanon, fighting has flared up again between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Israel as a result of the Iran war. The peacekeepers repeatedly find themselves caught between the fronts in the border area with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has assured the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem “full and immediate access” to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. He had instructed the responsible authorities to grant Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa access, Netanyahu said on Monday morning on the online service
A month after the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son and successor Moschtaba Khamenei addressed the population with another written message. In it, the new supreme leader thanked the Iranians for their support in the war against the United States and Israel, state media reported on Sunday.
Since his appointment, Modshtaba Khamenei has not made any public appearances and has made few written statements. This fact has sparked speculation about his health and whereabouts. According to state television reports, he is recovering from the effects of the air raid that killed his father on February 28.
A few days ago, US President Donald Trump said that Washington was conducting negotiations with a “high-ranking person” in Iran, who, however, was not the supreme leader. “We haven’t heard from the son,” said Trump, referring to Moschtaba Khamenei, “we don’t even know if he’s alive.” Iranian state media regularly publish photographs of the 56-year-old, without specifying whether they are current images.
Amid the Iran war, police in Israel prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where he planned to hold the traditional Palm Sunday Mass at the start of Holy Week. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu justified the move with security concerns.
