Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon
Lebanon
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Somalia
Security Council/Syria
Ebola
Cuba
Food Security
International Day
UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON
As you know, we have some pretty unpleasant news coming from Lebanon, where another one of our UN peacekeepers was killed. Sergeant Milovan Jovanović of Serbia’s 27th Mechanized Battalion, died early this morning from critical injuries sustained when a mortar shell hit his position near Marjayoun, in southern Lebanon.
The Secretary-General condemns the killing of our peacekeeping colleague. He expresses his deepest condolences to the family, to the friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died, and to the Government and people of the Republic of Serbia. Sergeant Milovan Jovanović would have turned 37 on the 6th of June. He was a son, he was a husband, and a father to a son and a 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 under the blue flag of the United Nations.
Meanwhile, despite all of this, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continues 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 launches were detected from north to south, presumably by Hizbullah, including one crossing the Blue Line.
Separately, two UNIFIL positions near Blat in Sector East were struck by munition ricochets, causing property damage.
Just going back to the incident that killed our colleague Sergeant Jovanović. Two of his colleagues during the same incident, one from El Salvador and one from Spain, were also injured. They are reportedly in stable condition and are receiving care. We of course wish 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 have been saying, these killings may amount to war crimes. UNIFIL has issued a full statement on the incident and on what happened and they will investigate the incident thoroughly. However, based on an initial assessment, from UNIFIL observations, 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 16 April.
The UN is committed to supporting the diplomatic efforts towards an extension of the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of resolution 1701.
This tragic news comes at a time when here, the UN Headquarters tomorrow and this week, we have been holding a series of events to mark the International Day of United Nations peacekeepers. This day honours peacekeepers past and present and reaffirms our shared responsibility to strengthen their work.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, [the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations], will be our guest tomorrow on the occasion of the International Peacekeepers Day. He will be our guest at noon at the briefing, and he will start on time.
And also, tomorrow morning, there will be a solemnly event to honour the more than 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, including 59 in 2025. The loss of Sergeant Jovanović today is a stark reminder of the risks peacekeepers take every day to serve communities and help preserve peace around the world.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-04