A tense calm settled over south Lebanon Sunday, a day after stone-throwing villagers attacked a UN patrol, lightly wounding one peacekeeper. Saturday's incident was the second involving United Nations peacekeepers and civilians in south Lebanon this week. On Tuesday, residents of several south Lebanon villages had blocked roads to keep peacekeepers from performing a military drill. A UN statement said Saturday's clash occurred when a UN armored personnel carrier and light armored vehicle were blocked by villagers who started pelting the vehicles with stones near the village of Qabrikha. The patrol drove away but was again surrounded by a crowd of around fifty people who deflated the vehicles' tires and threw stones at them, breaking windows and windscreens. The peacekeepers fired warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd, the statement issued late Saturday said. “The UNIFIL patrol leader who had stepped out of the vehicle to try to talk to the civilians was roughed up by some members of the crowd and his weapon (was) snatched,” the statement said. “He received minor injuries on his forehead and was sheltered by some civilians in a nearby house.” It said Lebanese army forces intervened to restore calm and recover UNIFIL's weapons. UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said “it is incumbent on the Lebanese authorities to ensure the security and freedom of movement for UNIFIL within its area of operation.” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern in a report to the UN Security Council earlier this month about the attacks aimed at UNIFIL forces. UN diplomats said at least one country contributing troops to the mission has asked the Lebanese government to deploy more forces to the south.
