The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahucalled on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to withdraw the positions of the UN peacekeeping force on the Lebanese border, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force for Lebanon), because, in his opinion, notice, they have become in “human shields” for terrorists Hezbollah.
“It is time to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones,” Netanyahu said in an official statement to the UN secretary-general after a week in which at least five peacekeepers were injured in incidents that the United Nations attributed to the Israeli army in its operation against Hezbollah.
Last Thursday, October 10, UNIFIL announced that two of its soldiers had been injured by the impact of an Israeli projectile on its installations in Naqoura, where its headquarters is located, after, in recent hours, the Defense Forces of Israel (IDF) have arrived various positions of this international contingent.
The next day, another Israeli attack injured two more peacekeepers and a third was hit at night by gunfire from an unknown source. Concerning the first event, the Israeli army admitted “having opened fire in the area” before ensuring that it had opened an investigation into the matter and insisting again on the fact that UNIFIL withdraws from their positions, which the UN force categorically refused to do.
This is why the Israeli Prime Minister regrets the “constant denials” of UNIFIL which, according to him, “aim only to provide human shields for terrorists of Hezbollah. “His refusal to withdraw UNIFIL forces makes its members hostages of Hezbollah and also endangers the lives of our soldiers,” Netanyahu stressed in the statement.
Secretary-General, withdraw UNIFIL forces from dangerous areas. Do it now, immediately,” he warned on this subject.
Separately, Netanyahu took the opportunity to criticize “some European leaders” for denouncing last week’s incidents because they are “putting pressure on the wrong party” by demanding restraint from Israel.
“Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct their criticism to Hezbollah, which uses,” he insisted, “UNIFIL as human shields,” as he believes the Islamist movement in Gaza does with Palestinian Hamas. the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which “voluntarily cooperates with it”.
Although Netanyahu did not specifically mention these European leaders, it is worth recalling that the European Union’s high representative for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, condemned the Israeli attack and denounced that “another line has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon: the bombings of the security forces”. Israel Defense Forces against the UN, whose positions are known.
