Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the United Nations to evacuate the troops of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.
“The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones,” Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.
“The IDF has requested this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields.”
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah denies Israel's accusation that it uses the proximity of peacekeepers for protection.
Hours after Netanyahu’s statement was issued, UNIFIL reported what it described as additional Israeli violations, including tanks forcibly entering through the gates of a base.
The Israeli military asked the U.N. peacekeepers nearly two weeks ago to prepare to relocate more than 5 km (3 miles) from the border “in order to maintain your safety,” according to an excerpt from the message, seen by Reuters.
U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday that “the safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy.” They remained in position but operational activities had virtually come to a halt since September 23 and peacekeepers were confined to base. Three hundred had been temporarily relocated to bigger bases.
Attacks on a watchtower, cameras, communications equipment and lighting had limited UNIFIL’s monitoring abilities, a UNIFIL spokesperson said on Thursday. U.N. sources said they feared Israeli attacks would make it impossible to monitor violations of international law.
Five peacekeepers have so far been wounded in a series of strikes that have hit peacekeeping positions and personnel in recent days, most of the attacks blamed by UNIFIL on Israeli forces.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, typically one of Israel’s most vocal supporters among Western European leaders, spoke to Netanyahu by phone on Sunday and denounced the Israeli attacks.
“Prime Minister Meloni reiterated the unacceptability of UNIFIL being attacked by Israeli armed forces,” the Italian government said in a statement.
Italy has more than a thousand troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force, making it one of the biggest contributors of personnel. France and Spain, which each have nearly 700 soldiers in the force, have also condemned the Israeli attacks.
UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor southern Lebanon. Since then, the area has seen persistent conflict, with Israel invading in 1982, occupying southern Lebanon until 2000 and again fighting a major five-week war against Hezbollah in 2006.
Israeli officials say UNIFIL has failed in its mission of upholding U.N. Resolution 1701, passed after the 2006 war, which calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defence Minister Gallant on Saturday, expressed “deep concern” about reports that Israeli forces had fired on peacekeeper positions and urged Israel to ensure their safety and that of the Lebanese military, the Pentagon said.
The Lebanese military is not party to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s government says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting, mainly during the escalation of the past few weeks. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but includes scores of women and children.
