The United Nations will not bow to pressure to withdraw peacekeepers from southern Lebanon, despite the force coming under shelling and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly calling for them to leave the area. said.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, will remain in “all positions” including near the border where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah, peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters in New York. Ta. on monday.
He added that the decision to keep Hezbollah had the full support of both the UN Security Council and the member states that contribute troops to the force. Israel says it has failed in its mission to stabilize the region amid Hezbollah’s growing presence.
It has been decades since Iranian-backed groups began firing rockets in solidarity with ally Hamas more than a year ago after terrorist attacks on Israel by Palestinian groups killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. The two sides have been in a hostile relationship and continue to clash. More than 42,000 people have died in the ensuing war in Gaza, according to local health officials.
Satellite images show what appear to be Israeli tanks surrounding a UNIFIL base near Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon earlier this month. Planet Labs PBCFighting near the Israeli-Lebanese border has forced hundreds of thousands of people from both sides to flee their homes. Israel has doubled down on its offensive in recent weeks after a massive bombing campaign against Lebanon began on September 17, detonating the pagers of members of Hezbollah, long Iran’s most powerful proxy group, across the country.
On October 1, Israeli troops crossed the border after Israeli military leaders declared a new phase of the war.
LeCroix’s comments came after the United Nations Security Council expressed “strong concern” at a meeting to discuss four UNIFIL soldiers injured in Israeli firing on their positions last week. A fifth person was injured by gunfire during a military operation, but it is unclear who fired the shots.
The incident drew international criticism, with Spain, France and Italy condemning the incident. President Joe Biden’s insistence that he is “absolutely and aggressively” urging Israel to stop attacking peacekeepers has underscored how bad the situation has become.
UNIFIL, established by the UN Security Council in 1978 after Israel’s first invasion of Lebanon, also accused the IDF of shooting cameras, destroying main gates and forcibly entering positions.
The Israeli military has vowed to investigate some of the incidents that occurred as it continues to fight Hezbollah forces in the area.
In a video address on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said UNIFIL was providing “a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists” and directly appealed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to “keep U.N. peacekeepers out of harm’s way.” Ta.
Ahmed Benchemsi, Middle East spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, told NBC News there was “absolutely no justification” for firing on UN forces.
“Peacekeepers are considered civilians, even if they are armed,” he said, adding that it was important that UNIFIL remained on the ground.
A UNIFIL force vehicle patrols Marjayoun in southern Lebanon on Saturday. AFP – Getty Images
Shortly after Prime Minister Netanyahu’s video was released, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti disputed IDF claims that UNIFIL forces were active and supporting Hezbollah.
Israel has long had a tense relationship with the United Nations, which worsened significantly after October 7, particularly when Israel accused UNRWA officials, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, of collaborating with Hamas. .
UNRWA fired nine staff members following an internal investigation, but the UN also continued to criticize Israel’s military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon.
In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Netanyahu denounced the United Nations as a “swamp of anti-Semitism,” and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres a “persona non grata” and warned against Israel. Banned from entering the country.
Against the backdrop of the invasion of Lebanon, Israel is also considering a response to a barrage of missiles launched by Iran earlier this month, raising concerns that large-scale retaliation could spark a wider regional conflict. .
However, the Washington Post reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu is prepared to launch a more limited counterattack against the United States aimed at preventing an all-out war, targeting military infrastructure rather than nuclear or oil facilities. He said he intended to do so. .
While reaffirming Israel’s “right to respond” to the October attack, Biden has publicly said he does not support Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“We will listen to the views of the United States, but the final decision will be based on national interests,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement to the Post.
