Lebanon Military Court Sentences Six Hezbollah Members Over 2022 UN Peacekeeper Killing

Lebanon's military tribunal has sentenced six Hezbollah members in connection with the 2022 killing of Irish UN peacekeeper Private Sean Rooney in southern Lebanon, with one man, Mohammad Ayyad, sentenced to death in absentia. The attack occurred when a UNIFIL convoy was fired upon near Al-Aqbiya, marking the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. Other defendants received prison terms or fines, while a seventh man was acquitted. Ayyad, who was briefly detained and later released, was not present at the sentencing due to illness and was fined in addition to his death sentence. UNIFIL welcomed the conclusion of the trial and praised Lebanon's commitment to justice, offering condolences to Rooney's family and the Irish government. Hezbollah has not commented on the convictions.