Lebanon’s military tribunal has sentenced six individuals in connection with the 2022 killing of an Irish United Nations peacekeeper in southern Lebanon, according to judicial sources quoted by Reuters on Tuesday. A Lebanese security source confirmed that all six convicted men are members of the Hezbollah group.
The attack took place in December 2022 when a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy came under fire near the village of Al-Aqbiya, resulting in the death of 23-year-old Private Sean Rooney and injuries to other peacekeepers.
It was the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015.
Hezbollah’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sentences
The judicial sources said one man was sentenced in absentia to death, another was sentenced to three months in prison and four others were ordered to pay fines ranging from about $1,100 to $2,200. A seventh man was acquitted.
The judicial sources named the man sentenced in absentia as Mohammad Ayyad. According to a Lebanese security source, Ayyad had been briefly detained during the early stages of the investigation but was later released. His current whereabouts remain unknown.
Ayyad was believed to have played a key role in the attack, and his absence from the proceedings raised further concerns about accountability in such high-profile cases.
UNIFIL Welcomes Development
In January 2023, Lebanon’s military tribunal formally charged seven individuals in connection with the deadly attack on the UN peacekeeping convoy. The charges came after weeks of investigation into the December 2022 incident, which had drawn international condemnation and increased scrutiny on the security situation in southern Lebanon.
The charges against the seven men ranged from murder to damaging a vehicle.
In a written statement on Tuesday, UNIFIL welcomed the conclusion of the trial process and Lebanon’s “commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
