KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — No personnel from the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) were injured or killed in an explosion believed to have involved an unidentified drone near the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL HQ) in Naqoura, southern Lebanon yesterday.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the incident, which occurred at 5.30pm Malaysian time, happened near the perimeter fence of the headquarters, 20m from the Malaysia House, a rest facility for five MAF personnel serving as Military Staff Officers (PST) at the UNIFIL HQ.
The explosion caused only minor damage to the building's exterior and interior.
“No injuries or fatalities were reported involving Malaysian PST or UNIFIL staff, as all of them were inside the bunker when the incident occurred,” he said in a statement today.
Khaled added that prior to the explosion, a warning siren had sounded at 5.19pm and instructions were issued for all PST stationed at the UNIFIL HQ to enter the bunker as a safety precaution following the threat situation in the operational area.
Following the incident, the area surrounding Malaysia House had been temporarily cordoned off for investigation and security inspections by UNIFIL authorities.
“At the same time, further assessments are being carried out to determine the extent of damage involving the building structure and equipment, while follow-up repair works will be coordinated through the MALBATT 850-13 element,” he said.
Malaysia House is located about 24km from Camp Marakah, the main base of MALBATT 850-13 in southern Lebanon.
Khaled said the Defence Ministry, through the Joint Forces Headquarters, would continue to closely monitor the situation in the operational area and cooperate with UNIFIL to ensure the safety of Malaysian personnel is always safeguarded.
