Diplomatic sources on Saturday suggested Syria was involved in the
roadside bomb Friday that blew up a UN vehicle on a highway leading to the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, Lebanese daily
An Nahar reported.
The sources told
An Nahar and other Lebanese media that the the blast came after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem threatened the European Union that it would regret sanctions imposed on President Bashar Assad and other top Syrian officials.
RELATED:'Iran aiding Assad in crackdown against protesters'Raising the bar, EU slaps sanctions on Assad"I say this measure, just as it will harm Syria's interests, it will harm Europe's interest. And
Syria won't remain silent about this measure," Muallem declared last week.
The diplomats hinted that messages communicated to Europe through Muallem's comments and the attack on the UN peacekeepers would only increase.
According to
An Nahar, they did not exclude attempts by the Syrian government to create "distractions elsewhere" if it feels threatened.
Four other Italian peacekeepers were wounded in Friday's attack, Lebanese security sources said.
A spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said the bomb had been aimed at a logistics convoy.
The explosion happened on the UN's International Day of United Nations
Peacekeepers, when peacekeepers killed in missions across the world are
commemorated by their colleagues.
Reuters contributed to this report.