United Nations peacekeepers will stay in all positions in Lebanon despite Israeli calls for them to move amid intensifying fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and five blue helmets suffering injuries, the UN peacekeeping chief said Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday again called for the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon to move from certain areas close to his country’s border with Lebanon, insisting it was “completely false” that Israeli forces targeted the UN force, UNIFIL.
Israel has faced severe criticism over injuries and damage sustained by the UN peacekeeping force which has been deployed in Lebanon since the first of Israel’s four major ground offensives against its neighbor in 1978.
“The decision was made that UNIFIL would currently stay in all its positions in spite of the calls that were made by the Israel Defense Forces to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line,” said UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
“I want to emphasize that this decision still remains,” he said, adding that the plan was confirmed earlier Monday by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Five peacekeepers were injured in a series of incidents last week, with the latest seeing the UN force accuse Israeli troops of breaking through a gate and entering one of their positions.
The Israeli military later said a tank “backed several meters into a UNIFIL post” while “under fire” and attempting to evacuate injured soldiers.
Under Security Council Resolution 1701, only UNIFIL’s roughly 9,500 troops and Lebanon’s army should be deployed in Lebanon’s south.
“We just heard from members of the UN Security Council the unanimous expression of support towards UNIFIL. Of course, it’s very heartening,” Lacroix added.
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