From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Israel slams UN official for chummy message to Hezbollah a month after peacekeeper killed
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLuke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
A UN official in Lebanon is criticized by an Israeli official for expressing gratitude to Hezbollah after a UN peacekeeper was murdered in an area controlled by the terror group.
Joanna Wronecka, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, thanks a Hezbollah official “for a tour d’horizon on issues of priority for Lebanon.”
She writes on Twitter that the tour covered topics including “the election of a new president, the functioning of state institutions and the impact of regional and international developments on the country.”
https://twitter.com/JWronecka/status/1614992559184699393
A UN peacekeeper was shot to death while driving in a UN vehicle in a Hezbollah-controlled area of South Lebanon last month.
The terror group handed over a suspect in the killing to Lebanese investigators, but it is not clear whether the suspect is a Hezbollah member.
Joshua Zarka, deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry, mocks Wronecka’s statement and blames Hezbollah for the killing.
“Is this real? An official Senior UN Representative thanks the terrorist organization responsible for the murder of a UN peacekeeper,” he says.
Hezbollah is designated a terror group by the US and its military wing is considered a terrorist organization by the EU.
The Times of Israel Community.