Netanyahu urges UN to relocate peacekeepers in Lebanon immediately 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday urged the United Nations Secretary-General to relocate peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon, citing concerns that Hezbollah is using them as “human shields.”

Netanyahu’s request to UN chief Antonio Guterres followed a recent incident where five members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured during clashes, yet the mission opted to remain in the border area.

“Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Netanyahu stated in a video released by his office. This was his first public comment regarding the situation.

During a cabinet meeting, he emphasized that Israeli forces had repeatedly asked UNIFIL to vacate its positions but faced “repeated refusals,” which he claimed allowed Hezbollah militants to operate with impunity.

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“Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” Netanyahu remarked. He added, “We regret the harm to UNIFIL soldiers and we are doing our utmost to prevent such harm. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure this is simply to withdraw them from the danger zone.”

Despite the call for withdrawal, UNIFIL has opted to maintain its presence in southern Lebanon. “There was a unanimous decision to stay because it’s important for the UN flag to still fly high in this region, and to be able to report to the Security Council,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP on Saturday.

Tenenti noted that Israel had requested UNIFIL to withdraw from positions “up to five kilometers (three miles) from the Blue Line” that separates Israel and Lebanon, which would include 29 UNIFIL sites in the region.

UNIFIL, established after Israel’s 1978 invasion of Lebanon, currently consists of approximately 9,500 troops from various countries and is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire following the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

In response to recent attacks on peacekeepers, forty nations contributing to UNIFIL issued a joint statement condemning such actions. “Such actions must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated,” the statement read, which was shared by the Polish UN mission and included signatures from major contributors like Indonesia, Italy, and India.

Netanyahu further argued that any criticism directed at Israel should be aimed at Hezbollah instead. “Instead of criticising Israel, they should direct their criticism to Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as a human shield, just as Hamas in Gaza uses UNRWA as a human shield,” he said, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

He also noted past accusations against UNRWA, stating that some of its employees were alleged to be involved in the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, with investigations revealing “neutrality related issues.”

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