Two Ghanaian peacekeepers have been critically injured after the Ghanaian Battalion (GHANBATT) headquarters in southern Lebanon came under targeted missile fire on Friday.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that the headquarters, operating under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was struck twice between 17:45 and 17:52 local time.
According to GAF, the strikes occurred amidst ongoing heavy exchanges between the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah.
Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, Acting Director General of Public Relations for the GAF, in a statement disclosed that the attack resulted in critical injuries to two soldiers, while a third is being treated for trauma.
The Officers’ Mess was also hit and completely destroyed by fire.
“The injured are receiving treatment at the Level One Medical Bunker and are currently stable,” the statement read. “Arrangements are underway for their evacuation to the UNIFIL Headquarters Referral Hospital.”
She assured the public that the remaining troops are currently safe in underground bunkers.
In response to the escalation, the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has lodged a formal protest at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The government has called on all parties involved in the conflict to respect the neutrality of UNIFIL and prioritise the safety of peacekeepers.
