Lebanon's Hezbollah says not linked to accused in peacekeeper killing

Lebanon'sHezbollahon Friday denied that five menaccusedby a military tribunal ofkillingan Irish UNpeacekeeperin 2022 werelinkedto the armed Shi'ite group.

A court document filed on Thursday had identified some of the five as members ofHezbollahand allied movement Amal, according to a senior Lebanese judicial source.

Hezbollahmedia official Mohammad Afif said the fiveaccusedwerenotmembers of the group, which controls the part of southern Lebanon where last year's attack took place, and also denied that the indictment had described them asHezbollahmembers.

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Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed on Dec15 in the first fatal attack on UNpeacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015.

Afif saidHezbollahhad played a big role after thekillingin reducing tensions and in local people's cooperation with the army and judicial investigation.

His comments are the first by aHezbollahofficial since Thursday's reported indictment. The Amal Movement, which is headed byLebanon'sparliament speaker, Nabih Berri, has so far declined to comment.

The judicial source had said evidence was drawn from camera recordings in which theaccusedrefer to themselves as members ofHezbollah. A second judicial source confirmed that camera evidence was mentioned in the 30-page court document.

Hezbollahhas previously denied involvement in thekilling, calling it an "unintentional incident" that took place solely between the town's residents and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force.