With excitement boiling after a long-running event last week, the United Nations insisted it would not withdraw peacekeeping forces from southern Lebanon, despite Israel's repeated demands to withdraw from areas where its military is operating. . Hezbollah militant group.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) will remain “in all its positions,” including those near the border with Lebanon and Israel, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters in New York. York on Monday.
He added that the decision to keep them in place had the full support of both the United Nations Security Council and member states contributing troops to the force. The plan was also confirmed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Lacroix said.
His comments came after a statement issued after the UN Security Council ended emergency talks on Lebanon expressing “strong concerns” about the attack.
Although it did not mention Israel, Lebanon or Hezbollah, the statement, read by Swiss Ambassador to the UN Pascal Berrisville, current president of the council, called on all parties to “respect the security of UNIFIL personnel and UN facilities”.
A meeting was held to discuss the matter Four UNIFIL soldiers were injured after Israel opened fire on their positions last week. A fifth person was injured in gunfire during the military operation, although it was not clear who fired the shots.
The Israeli military has promised to investigate some of the incidents as it continues to fight Hezbollah forces in the region. The two sides have been at loggerheads since the Iran-backed militant group began firing rockets into Gaza a year ago in solidarity with its ally Hamas.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused UNIFIL of “providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists” in a video address on Sunday, and directly appealed to Guterres to get UN peacekeepers “out of harm’s way.” .
Shortly after the video was released, UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti disputed IDF claims that UNIFIL forces were active, providing cover for Hezbollah.
This includes Israel Strong international criticism Injuries and damage caused by peacekeepers are high. UNIFIL accused the IDF of shooting at its cameras, destroying its main gate and forcing entry into one of its positions.
President Joe Biden's statement last week that he is “absolutely and positively” calling on Israel to stop attacking peacekeepers only indicates how far the situation has come.
In the context of its aggression in Lebanon, Israel is also weighing its response to Iran's missile barrage earlier this month, raising fears that massive retaliation could trigger a wider regional conflict.
But Netanyahu told the US he is prepared to launch a more limited counterattack aimed at avoiding a full-scale war and that will target the country's military infrastructure rather than its nuclear or oil facilities, a report said. In the Washington Post.
President Joe Biden has said publicly that he will not support Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, while reaffirming the country's “right to respond” to the October attack.
“We listen to the views of the United States, but we will make our final decision based on our national interests,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement published in the Post.
