KUALA LUMPUR: The father of a Malaysian peacekeeper in Lebanon says he has endured sleepless nights following an Israeli Defence Force strike that injured six Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) servicemen.
Associate Captain, Ramli Hashim, 55, said he has not been able to get in touch with his son Sargeant Nor Irwan, 26, since the incident.
"The moment I heard about the Israeli strike, I tried contacting him, but my calls went unanswered. What father wouldn't be worried about his son's safety?" he said.
"The last time we spoke was several months ago, and at the time he told me he was having a fever."
Nor Irwan, who is on his second Malbatt mission, was deployed there last October. He is slated to return soon after over a year of service.
"I can only pray for his safety while monitoring developments there," said Ramli, adding Nor Irwan has four children.
He said he did not rule out the possibility that infrastructure issues in the conflict area made communications difficult.
"I am praying for all our heroes in Lebanon."
On Thursday, it was reported that six Malbatt personnel under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) were injured in a drone strike near Sidon, Lebanon.
The six, who suffered minor injuries have since been transported to Camp Marakah for treatment.
Yesterday, Malaysian Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman said they will discuss the need for additional precautions with Unifil following the Israeli strike.