Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday made an English, on-camera appeal to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to pull UNIFIL forces away from the fighting in South Lebanon.
"Mr. Secretary General, Get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately," Netanyahu said in a video posted by his office.
In Hebrew Netanyahu said the IDF had repeatedly asked that UNIFIL move out of the area where fighting was taking place and was repeatedly refused, thereby providing the Hezbollah terror group with human shields. "Your refusal to remove the troops makes the UNIFIL forces hostages in the hands of Hezbollah," Netanyahu said. He said Israel regrets any harm caused to the peacekeeping troops and does everything possible to prevent such harm but the simple way to avoid such events is simply to remove the troops from danger.
Netanyahu appeals to UN Secretary-General to remove UNIFIL forces from South Lebanon fighting
Netanyahu went on to say that regrettably, some European leaders are exerting pressure in the wrong place. "Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct the criticism to Hezbollah which is using the peacekeepers as human shields just like Hamas used UNRWA in Gaza.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posts an appeal to UN Secretary General Guterres to move UNIFIL troops out of harm's way
(Photo: GPO)
Guterres condemned the shooting at UNIFIL forces, calling it a violation of humanitarian international law and the UN Security Council also condemned the incidents.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Saturday expressed deep concern over IDF's fire on UNIFIL positions. At least two members of the force had suffered mild injuries.
The leaders of France and Italy condemned Israel for firing at the UN troops earlier calling it outrageous. Italy lodged its protest after the report that shots were fired, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said. An emergency meeting will be held at the UN Security Council later on Thursday following the incident.
Firing on UNIFIL bases was "totally unacceptable" and clearly flouts international law, Crosetto added in a statement. Italy has summoned Israel's ambassador to the country, Jonathan Peled, to Rome following the incident.
France said it was waiting for explanations from Israel. "France expresses its deep concern following the Israeli shots that hit the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and condemns any attack on the security of UNIFIL," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that none of its 700 troops in the mission had been wounded.
On Monday the IDF asked the UNIFIL forces to move out of the fighting area for their safety but was rejected. “There is an obligation on Israel and Hezbollah to respect the role of UN peacekeepers and their mandate, and do nothing that would put peacekeepers and our troops in particular in harm’s way," Irish President Michael Higgins, whose troops are part of the UNIFIL deployment, said.
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