KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian peacekeepers (Malbatt 850-11) in South Lebanon are allowed to return fire if attacked.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the rules of engagement (ROE) established by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) allow UN forces to return fire if fired upon.
"We acknowledge that, at this time, the threat is increasing (due to the war in Gaza and Lebanon). Everything is being managed by Unifil, with rules of engagement in place to address all challenges and threats."
Khaled said that if Malaysian forces came under attack, the ROE established by the UN allows the peacekeepers to return fire in self-defence.
"However, offensive attacks are not allowed because Unifil's role is that of a peacekeeping force," he said in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) on whether the Malaysian peacekeepers could fire in self-defence if they came under attack.
It was reported that Indonesian and Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Lebanon had been fired upon by opposing forces.
Ikmal Hisham also asked if the Malaysian peacekeepers had medical equipment, experts, and facilities. He also inquired if there was an evacuation plan in place.
Khaled said Unifil had operating theatres approximately an hour's drive from the Malbatt 850-11 camp.
"In our camp itself, we have basic facilities for Level 2 treatment, for basic medical needs. At the same time, we have also made arrangements with local hospitals," he said.
In terms of an evacuation or 'exfil', Khaled said contingency plans have been drawn up and are in place in case hostilities escalate. However, the decision to evacuate will be made by Unifil.
"Our forces there are under Unifil's command structure. All operations and movements are under Unifil's authority, and they will make the decisions.
"Whether we withdraw or not is up to Unifil and requires the consensus of the 50 countries involved in this peacekeeping effort. It is not a unilateral decision that we alone can make.
"For your information, despite the two Indonesian soldiers being injured in the attack (on Oct 10), Indonesia's foreign minister has stated that they will continue to support the peacekeeping mission under Unifil," he said.
The Indonesians were injured after they were fired upon, reportedly by Israeli tanks.
Khaled said the current safety level of the Malbatt team is 'secure', and there have been no casualties or damage to the assets in Malaysia's area of responsibility (AOR) throughout the duration of the conflict between Hizbollah and Israel.
"All forces under Unifil have been instructed not to carry out patrol operations or logistical movements, and to remain in their respective AOR.
"Taking into account the safety of the personnel, the Unifil headquarters has ordered that the troops stay within their respective compounds and reinforce their defensive positions according to the established procedures until the situation is under control," he said.
Malbatt 850-11 comprises 853 personnel and officers, including 29 from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
Unifil, which has about 9,500 peacekeepers from around 50 countries, is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire agreement that ended a 33-day war between Israel and Hizbollah in 2006.
Its role was bolstered by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of that year, which stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in southern Lebanon.