Govt has backup plan if Malbatt has to retreat - Khaled

The government has a backup plan should the situation in southern Lebanon worsen and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) decides to withdraw due to Israel’s aggression.

Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said for now the country’s commitment continues like the other countries that sent their military personnel to Lebanon.

He said the unfolding situation is the same as when the country started sending the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) there for the first time for peacekeeping duties.

Khaled said his ministry is always in close contact with Unifil to find out the current situation in the area, apart from discussing with other countries with military personnel deployed there.

“It’s not just the Malbatt team that is facing attacks. Teams from other countries such as Indonesia and Ireland are also facing the same situation.

“It has become the country’s reputation to continue working together with the Unifil peacekeeping force which is made up of more than 40 countries to maintain peace in the area,” he said when contacted by Bernama Radio.

Commenting further, Khaled said the members sent there are trained soldiers and they are ready and aware of the risks they face when working as peacekeepers.

“These are not ordinary people,” he said.

Injuries following blast

Yesterday, six Malbatt members were confirmed to have suffered injuries following an explosion near Saida Stadium, Lebanon during the movement of Malbatt 850-12 members from Beirut to Camp Marakah at 1.54pm Lebanese time or 7.54 pm Malaysian time.

The minister added that one member who was injured in the hand is receiving treatment at Hamood Hospital in Saida while five others who were slightly injured have safely arrived at Marakah Camp.

Khaled said the incident was caused by the explosion of a car, the cause of which is not yet known, whether it was shot by a drone or an Israeli fighter jet.

“Shards from the explosion caused the windshield and rear window of one of the buses carrying the Malbatt 850-12 group to shatter and injured six members including the escort from Malbatt 850-11," he said.

On Wednesday, the first batch of Malbatt team 850-12, involving 220 officers and members of other ranks, were deployed to Beirut to continue the peacekeeping mission under the United Nations.

The assignment and delivery of the Malbatt 850-12 team is arranged to move in stages involving 854 officers and members including the Royal Brunei Armed Forces team and a civilian officer, from Nov 6 to 18.

In a statement on Nov 8, Bersatu Youth condemned the attack, expressing its hope that the Defence Ministry and Foreign Ministry would monitor the situation and the Malbatt team’s safety.

It’s executive committee member Harris Idaham Rashid also urged all international powers to inflict diplomatic and economic sanctions on any nation that actively threatens world peace.

He went on to thank the medical team in Lebanon for quickly treating those injured.

- Bernama

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