Malaysians have expressed shock and outrage over the injuries suffered by the country’s troops in an Israeli drone strike that targeted and blew up a vehicle travelling near their convoy on Thursday.
A soldier sustained a fracture to his left arm while five others had minor injuries during the attack, according to Malaysian armed forces.
The raid happened in Saida city as the battalion was en route to their base in Marakah in South Lebanon to begin their tour as part of peacekeeping forces under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
“The explosion had targeted another vehicle that was en route to Beirut but ended up damaging the bus that was transporting members of MALBATT 850-12,” Malaysia’s armed forces said in a statement late Thursday, referring to the affected battalion.
Three Lebanese citizens riding in the car targeted by the drone strike were killed while three Lebanese soldiers manning the checkpoint at the site of the attack were also injured, the Lebanese army was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Comments condemning the attack quickly flooded Malaysian social media. Many offered prayers for the troops’ safety and questioned why Israel can be allowed to carry out continued assaults without so much as a slap on the wrist by Western powers.
“We end up just resigned to it. Because the US’ golden child cannot be disturbed. Sometimes I wonder what was the point of Malaysian soldiers rescuing US soldiers in Mogadishu,” read a Facebook comment by one Mohd Ihsan, referring to the freeing of US Ranger and Delta Force commandos during the Bakara Battle in Somalia 1993.
