Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / LEBANON PEACEKEEPER DEATH
STORY: UN / LEBANON PEACEKEEPER DEATH
TRT: 3:26
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 04 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
04 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Secretary-General condemns the killing of our peacekeeping colleague. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families, to the friends and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died, and to the government and people of Serbia. Sergeant Milovan Jovanivić would have turned 37 on June 6th. He was a son. He was a husband and a father to a son and daughter. This was his first peacekeeping deployment. He arrived in Lebanon at the end of January of this year, and he died while fulfilling his duty in the service of peace and the blue flag of the United Nations.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Two of his colleagues during the same incident, one from El Salvador and one from Spain were also injured. They are reported in stable condition and are receiving care. We, of course, wish them a speedy recovery. since March, seven peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL have now been killed following the escalation of hostilities, and several more have been wounded. We reiterate that attacks on peacekeepers must stop. They are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701. And as we've been saying, these killings may amount to war crimes.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“UNIFIL has issued a full a statement on the incident and what happened. And they will investigate the incident thoroughly. However, based on an initial assessment, from UNIFIL observation posts, we understand that the position was struck by indirect fire coming from north of the Litani River. As soon as we have more information, we will share that with you. Those responsible must be held to account. All must respect international law and protect those serving in the cause of peace. The Secretary-General again urges all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities that was announced on April 16th. The UN is committed to supporting the diplomatic efforts towards an extension of the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of resolution 1701.”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Meanwhile, despite all of this, our UNIFIL colleagues continue to monitor the situation in the south of the country and carry out their mandated tasks despite the ongoing challenging security environment. Yesterday, UNIFIL detected 69 violations of Lebanese airspace across both sectors. Peacekeepers reported approximately 25 airstrikes by IDF jets and two rocket attacks by an IDF helicopter. Additionally, peacekeepers reported approximately 569 trajectories of projectiles fired from IDF positions south of the Blue Line and within the mission's area of operations. A further 14 launchers were detected from north to south, presumably by Hezbollah, including one crossing the Blue Line. separately to UNIFIL positions near Blat in Sector East was struck by munitions ricochet, causing property damage.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
The Secretary-General condemned the killing of Sergeant Milovan Jovanivić, a Serbian peacekeeper serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a UN Spokesperson said.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters today (4 Jun) that a mortar impacted United Nations position 7-2, near Marji’yun in Sector East of the UNIFIL area of operations, on 3 June 2026.
Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families, to the friends and colleagues of Sergeant Milovan Jovanivić, and to the government and people of Serbia, the Spokesperson said.
Dujarric said, “Sergeant Milovan Jovanivić would have turned 37 on June 6th. He was a son. He was a husband and a father to a son and daughter. This was his first peacekeeping deployment. He arrived in Lebanon at the end of January of this year, and he died while fulfilling his duty in the service of peace and the blue flag of the United Nations.”
Two other peacekeepers were wounded in the incident and are receiving treatment at a UNIFIL medical facility in south Lebanon. An investigation into the details of the incident is ongoing.
Seven peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL have now been killed since the escalation in hostilities since 2 March 2026, with several more wounded. “Attacks on peacekeepers must stop,” Dujarric said, reiterating that “they are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and may amount to war crimes.”
The Secretary-General again called on all actors to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and the inviolability of UN property and assets at all times.
All attacks on peacekeepers must be promptly investigated, and those responsible must be effectively prosecuted and held accountable.
The Spokesperson noted that UNIFIL has issued a full statement on the incident, adding that they will investigate the incident thoroughly. “However, based on an initial assessment, from UNIFIL observation posts, we understand that the position was struck by indirect fire coming from north of the Litani River. As soon as we have more information, we will share that with you. Those responsible must be held to account. All must respect international law and protect those serving in the cause of peace,” Dujarric said.
The Secretary-General again urged all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities announced on 16 April 2026. The United Nations is committed to supporting diplomatic efforts towards an extension of the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
The Spokesperson also said that UNIFIL continues to monitor the situation in the south of the country and carry out their mandated tasks despite the ongoing challenging security environment.
On Wednesday (3 Jun), UNIFIL detected 69 violations of Lebanese airspace across both sectors. Peacekeepers reported approximately 25 airstrikes by IDF jets and two rocket attacks by an IDF helicopter. Additionally, peacekeepers reported approximately 569 trajectories of projectiles fired from IDF positions south of the Blue Line and within the mission's area of operations.
Dujarric added, “a further 14 launchers were detected from north to south, presumably by Hezbollah, including one crossing the Blue Line. separately to UNIFIL positions near Blat in Sector East was struck by munitions ricochet, causing property damage.”
Download
There is no media available to download.
