Polish base hit by debris from alleged Hezbollah rocket, no soldiers or staff injured

A Polish base was hit with debris from what was believed to be an alleged Hezbollah rocket attack, raising concerns about the safety of UN peacekeeping troops. Just yesterday, eight Austrian UNIFIL troops were injured in a rocket attack on the force’s headquarters in Naqoura.

“Today in the afternoon in the area of ​​responsibility of IRISHPOLBATT, in the structure of which the UNIFIL PMC operates, a rocket attack was reported, most likely conducted by Hezbollah forces towards Israel,” the Armed Forces Operational Command reported in a statement cited by Do Rzeczy.

“Immediately after observing the rocket fire, a shelter alarm was announced and soldiers went to the shelters in accordance with safety procedures,” it added.

Poland’s Operational Command stressed that none of the soldiers or employees of the Polish Contingent in the Republic of Lebanon were injured as a result of the incident.

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According to the military, Israeli anti-missile systems most likely intercepted missiles directly above the UNP 2-45 base (Camp Shamrock), where Polish soldiers are stationed. Fragments of one of the intercepted missiles fell on the base without causing any injuries to personnel or damage to infrastructure.

“The Armed Forces Operational Command is monitoring the situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border and is taking all possible steps to ensure the maximum safety of Polish soldiers,” the army assured. 

Around 250 Polish soldiers are on the ground in Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL mission numbering around 10,000 soldiers. They are cooperating with both Irish and Hungarian forces.

In the attack on the Austrian troops, it is unclear the source of the missile, although it is suspected it was also a Hezbollah rocket.

“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and demand that it be investigated immediately,” the Austrian ministry of defense said in a statement, which noted that it remains unclear where the attack came from. Later, UNIFIL released a statement claiming the missile came from north of the base from a Hezbollah-controlled area.