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Israeli Prime Minister Calls for Immediate Withdrawal of UNIFIL Forces from Danger
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday to immediately remove the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from "danger."
In a video statement directed at Guterres, Netanyahu said, "Remove UNIFIL forces from danger. This must be done now and without delay," following reports that at least five UNIFIL personnel were injured in recent days amid clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu added, "I would like to address the UN Secretary-General directly: It is time to extract UNIFIL forces from combat zones. The Israeli army has repeatedly requested this, only to be met with repeated refusals."
He claimed that "the purpose of this refusal is to provide a human shield for Hezbollah fighters. Your (Guterres') failure to withdraw UNIFIL troops effectively renders them hostages in the hands of Hezbollah. This puts them at risk and also endangers the lives of our soldiers."
He continued, "We regret the injuries to UNIFIL personnel and are doing everything we can to avoid such incidents. However, the straightforward and necessary way to ensure their safety is to simply remove them from the danger zone."
He stated, "Mr. Secretary-General, extract UNIFIL forces from conflict areas. This needs to happen now, immediately."
He concluded by saying, "Unfortunately, some European leaders are exerting pressure in the wrong direction. Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct their criticism towards Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as human shields, just as Hamas uses UNRWA as a human shield in Gaza. Regrettably, UNRWA there cooperates with Hamas."
Israeli airstrikes have shaken the main base of peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, prompting Guterres and Western countries to condemn the attacks. UNIFIL described the assault as a "serious development" and emphasized the need to ensure the safety of UN peacekeeping personnel and their property.
France summoned the Israeli ambassador and issued a joint statement with Italy and Spain condemning such attacks as "unjustifiable." U.S. President Joe Biden stated he requested that Israel refrain from targeting UNIFIL forces. Russia expressed its "outrage" and called on Israel to cease hostilities against peacekeeping forces.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah reignited a year ago when the group began launching rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas at the onset of the Gaza war.
Israel has intensified its military operations in recent weeks, bombing southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and other regions, resulting in the deaths of numerous senior Hezbollah leaders, and has also sent ground troops across the border.
The extensive Israeli operation has led to the displacement of over 1.2 million people, according to the Lebanese government, which reports more than 2,100 deaths and 10,000 injuries during over a year of fighting. The statistics do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but include dozens of women and children.
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