M'sian military assets attacked by mob in Lebanon

The Defence Ministry said two vehicles from the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt 850-11), deployed to the United Nations Interim Force (Unifil) mission in Lebanon, were attacked by a group of unruly civilians on Sept 18.

In a statement today, the armed forces strategic defence intelligence and communication headquarters said the incident, which went viral on social media, occurred at 5.32pm local time (11.32pm Malaysian time) on Wednesday.

“The incident involved two fitted for radio (FFR) vehicles.

“It occurred when both vehicles, which carried three officers and seven others of various ranks, were on their way back to the Malbatt 850-11 Marakah Camp after conducting a force protection mission at Shama Camp, located at the Unifil headquarters,” the statement read.

While the vehicles were on the Tes Road-Burj Al Qibli at Tyre City, an unusual traffic congestion occurred, it said.

Rocks thrown, tyres punctured

The ministry stated that at the time, civilians began manning the traffic as many ambulances and fire engines were moving in both directions.

“Suddenly, a group of people started behaving aggressively and tried to stop both vehicles.

“About 30 of them threw rocks and punctured the tyres of all Malbatt vehicles using sharp objects,” it said.

To de-escalate the situation, the convoy leader instructed both vehicles to be safely parked on the side of the road, with the personnel remaining inside while awaiting assistance.

“Later, the Lebanon Armed Forces arrived at the location and restored order. They also helped us by coordinating a loader to transport the vehicles and Malbatt personnel back to Marakah Camp.

“All personnel and our vehicles arrived safely at Marakah Camp at 1.39am (Malaysian time) or 7.39pm (Lebanon time).”

The ministry also reiterated that the team would continue with its routine assignments, as mandated by Unifil, and urged the public not to speculate on the matter.

20 die in Lebanon communications devices explosions

Reports: Iran vows vengeance, but escalation is not a certainty

Israel created shell company to produce explosive pagers - reports

Don't let Israel-Iran conflict distract from Gaza plight, M'sia tells world

Two journalists killed in Israeli shelling in south Lebanon