Netanyahu: UN must withdraw south Lebanon peacekeepers from combat zones

PM accuses Hezbollah of using UNIFIL as ‘human shields,’ urges Guterres to get take the forces ‘out of harm’s way,’ far from terror group’s strongholds

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the UN force should at once evacuate the south Lebanon territory where Israel confronts the Hezbollah terror organization, accusing the latter of using the UN peacekeepers as shields. Netanyahu made the remarks as the UN peacekeeping force reported two IDF tanks had approached a UNIFIL position on Sunday. The IDF affirmed that the incident occurred when the IDF tried to rescue other injured IDF soldiers under attack. In arguing that members of UNIFIL should be taken out of harms way Netanyahu stated that previous calls by Israel for this were ignored, while the IAF had been increasing its toll of UNIFIL casualties. The international force has already stated that it will not move. To the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu said in a Hebrew message, “It is time for you to pull out UNIFIL from Hezbollah locations and from the fight zones.”

“The IDF has repeatedly asked for this, and has been met with repeated refusals, all aimed at providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” he added.

“Mr. Secretary General, please pull back the UNIFIL force out of the danger zone. So it should be done right now, immediately Netanyahu said in English. UNIFIL declared that the Israeli military operation targeted several of its positions, including the main one of the mission in Naqoura “deliberately”. Five members of the UNIFIL have been lightly injured in the recent attacks, while the UN has documented other shootings that it has not linked to either Israel or Hezbollah. “It leaves the UNIFIL soldiers as hostages of Hezbollah you refuse to remove,” Netanyahu said. “This is a danger to them and the lives of our soldiers.” He said that Israel “regrets the injury” that has happened to the peacekeepers, reiterating that Israel has taken all measures possible to avoid such cases. “But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is just get them out of the danger zone,” Netanyahu said. The prime minister argued that it is European leaders who should be angry with Hezbollah and accuse it of using UNIFIL as ‘human shield’.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati criticized Netanyahu’s address demanding the disarmament of UNIFIL soldiers stating that the warning addressed to… Guterres demanding the removal of the UNIFIL is a new aggravation in the aggressor’s practice of non-recognition of international [norms]. A brief time later, the IDF refuted UNIFIL’s assertion that IDF soldiers had penetrated one of its facilities in southern Lebanon and launched smoke shells that sickened the peacekeepers denying much of the claim but acknowledging that the events occurred as the IDF sought to evacuate injured soldiers targeted in “massive anti-tank fire.” Two of the soldiers that were being evacuating suffered critical injuries, while several others had minor to moderate injuries according to the IDF. The IDF based on preliminary findings said “It seems that during the incident and for the evacuation, two tanks backed up in an area where they could not move in any other direction due to the risk of shooting, a few meters into a UNIFIL position.” ‘When firing ceased and the carrying of the wounded done, the tanks withdrew from the position.’ UNIFIL explained that the tanks were at the post for 45 minutes and that IDF troops had ordered the base to turn off their lights.

Later on, UNIFIL confirmed that new rounds landed roughly within the hospitallized 100 meters away from the camp, the shelling released toxic smoke which led to skin rash and vomiting among 15 international troops. According to the IDF, the smoke screens were laid down to help with the evacuation process. “The IDF kept UNIFIL informed on a daily basis. All throughout the whole event, UNIFIL forces were never at threat from IDF actions,” it said. The UNIFIL statement also said that “on Saturday, IDF troops prevented a logistic convoy near Meiss El Jabal from proceeding and stated it saying ‘We have demanded clarification from the IDF for these outrageous breaches.’” On Sunday, the group said it engaged the Israeli forces in southern Lebanon near Ramyah, On Saturday, UNIFIL said the position of the mission in a southern Lebanese village had been severely damaged by explosions caused by shelling but did not say who was behind the attack. In a read out of a call made between Gallant and Austin, Gallant said that the Israeli defense forces were investigating the circumstances the led to harm of UNIFIL posts while accusing Hezbollah of purposely firing from around the UNIFIL posts. The US readout said that Austin voiced ‘deep concern ‘over reports that Israeil forces had targeted UN peacekeeping facilities and demanded Israel safeguard the UN and Lebanon’s military. Austin “underlined the need to switch from military activities in Lebanon to a diplomatic process as soon as possible,” the Pentagon readout of the call said early on Sunday.

Also Sunday, Pope Francis called for UN peacekeepers to have “respect”. All the people I meet are close, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, where I require the UN peacekeepers to be respected,” Francis said at the Vatican and demanded “an immediate ceasefire on all fronts and resumed the policy of diplomacy and dialogue for the sake of peace’. The remarks came a day after dozens of countries expressed grave concern in the fight against UNIFIL attacks. The 40 contributing countries “reaffirm our commitment to UNIFIL and the tasks assigned to it, the main goal of which is to restore stability and peace in South Lebanon and in the Middle East,” the statement said. “We call on both parties of the conflict to cease fire and give respect to UNIFIL as it has the responsibility to provide safety and security for their people,” it said. According to UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea TenentiIsrael demanded that the peacekeepers must leave the positions “up to five kilometers (three miles) from the Blue Line, the line dividing Israel and Lebanon, but the UN didn’t agree to do so. That would have included its 29 positions is the country’s south. “They all agreed: ‘We have to remain here because it is imperative that the United Nations flag continues to fly in this area, and for us to be able to continue to report to the Security Council,’ ” he said in an interview at the weekend with AFP.

Tenenti also said that before the war intensified in late September, Hezbollah had fired rockets and drones across the border and Israel responded by attacking the sources of fire, so the Blue Helmets were already in the bunkers much of the time. “For many months they have been living in those conditions.” Still, he said, “the channel of communication is still open with the parties,” Tenenti said. Ireland’s president Michael Higgins had said in similar sentiments: “Israel has been telling the entire UNIFIL operating under UN mandates to flee , which is very outrageous.” UNIFIL comprises about 9,500 personnel, representing some fifty countries and is responsible for overseeing the ceasefire line following the 33-day Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Its role was further boost

ed by UN security Council Resolution 1701 of that year which provided that only the Lebanese army and UN peace keeping forces would be allowed to be stationed in south Lebanon. However, that resolution has remained a dead letter in practice as over the eighteen years Hezbollah has turned the border area into its stronghold storing weapons there and, in last several months, fired hundreds of rockets into Israel and, according to allegations, was planning to launch a large-scale invasion of the Israeli territory last year. Last week UNIFIL reported that Israeli tank fire led to two Indonesian soldiers falling off a watchtower in Naqura..

The following day, it said explosions near an observation tower in Naqura resulted in the wounding of two Sri Lankan Blue Helmets, while Israel claimed it had responded to an ‘immediate threat’ next to a UN peacekeeping post. Saturday, the spokesman of UNIFIL said a UN peacekeeper in Naqura “was hit by gunfire” on Friday night. Hezbollah-supported forces have been shelling Israeli communities and military targets near the border every day since October 8, 2023, as the group claimed it was providing assistance to Hamas during the war in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian terror organization’s October 7 attack in southern Israel. Around 60 000 people were asked to leave their homes in northern Israel three days later after Hezbollah’s October 7 attack and while the rocket attacks by Hamas intensified. At the end of the last month the Israeli army invaded southern Lebanon to try to make it inappropriate for Hezbollah to continue firing rockets into northern Israel, and to remove the threat to the lives of residents in the North, allowing them to return to their homes.