File image, via the UNIFIL account on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 13 called on the United Nations to withdraw its peacekeeping force from southern Lebanon, where the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is currently operating against Hezbollah.
“Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] forces out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said in a public video statement, addressing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“It should be done right now, immediately,” the primer added.
Netanyahu then went on to claim that the presence of UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon makes them “hostages of Hezbollah.”
The prime minister also expressed regret over the incident last week in which the IDF wounded two UNIFIL soldiers in southern Lebanon. “We are doing everything possible to prevent this harm,” he said.
The clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border first broke out after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, with Hezbollah launching attacks in support of the Palestinian enclave. Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon starting from September 17 and on September 27 it assassinated the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nassrallah.
The IDF officially announced the launch of a limited ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on September 30.
Since then, several UNIFIL peacekeepers were wounded in attacks by the IDF. Israel faced backlash over these attacks, with some of its closest allies like the United Kingdom and France issuing condemnations and voicing their support for UN forces.
Netanyahu’s latest remarks indicate that the IDF is planning to expand its ground operation in southern Lebanon. This won’t be possible with the presence of the UNIFIL.
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