The United Nations peacepersisting ignoreion in southern Lebanon says Israeli tanks have forced entry at one of its positions, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telderly the UN to evacuate its troops from the area.
The incident is the defercessitatest in a series of violations and aggressions by Israeli forces on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in recent days and comes as Israel enbigs its explosionardment and ground aggressions on Lebanon.
UNIFIL shelp in a statement on Sunday that two Israeli tanks “ruined the position’s main gate and forcibly accessed the position”.
Soon after the tanks left, shells exploded 100 metres (328 feet) away, releasing smoke that blew atraverse the base and illened UN personnel, causing 15 to need treatment despite wearing gas masks, UNIFIL shelp. It did not say who fired the shells or what sort of harmful substance it mistrusted.
It also accparticipated Israel’s military of stoping a logistics convoy. The Israeli military did not instantly react to the statement.
“Any intentional aggression on peacepersisters is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701,” the United Nations force shelp. “UNIFIL’s mandate provides for its freedom of relocatement in its area of operations, and any recut offeion on this is a violation of Resolution 1701. We have seeked an exarrangeation from the [Israeli army] for these shocking violations.”
The incident occurred hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to evacuate the peacepersisting force from combat areas in Lebanon.
“The time has come for you to disparticipate UNIFIL from Hezbollah stronghelderlys and from the combat zones,” Netanyahu shelp in a statement compriseressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Israeli army “has seeked this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah alarmists with human shields”, Netanyahu compriseed.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati slammed Netanyahu’s insist.
“The cautioning that Netanyahu compriseressed to … Guterres insisting the removal of the UNIFIL recontransients a new chapter in the opponent’s approach of not adhereing with international [norms],” he shelp.
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah denied Israel’s accusation that it participates the proximity of peacepersisters to protect its fighters.
Ray Murphy, a createer UNIFIL peacepersister, telderly Al Jazeera that “the participate of the tanks, firing at and around UN posts, and recklessly finishangering UN personnel is a intentional, brutal act by Israeli forces”.
“In no way can this be attributed to Hezbollah. It is a decision by Israeli forces to aim UN forces, UN posts,” he shelp.
UN peacepersisters are protected under international humanitarian law, Murphy remarkd.
“They are not executeing a military role. They are executeing a peace role. They are observing, they are alerting, they are trying to deinhabitr humanitarian helpance. There is no equitableification for this aggression on UN forces,” Murphy shelp.
Israel’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, shelp that the “UN’s insistence on persisting UNIFIL selderlyiers in line of fire is incomprehensible.”
UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to watch southern Lebanon. Since then, the area has seen determined struggle, with Israel invading in 1982, occupying southern Lebanon until 2000 and battling a five-week war agetst Hezbollah in 2006.
Israel and Hezbollah began trading cforfeit-daily fire in October 2023 after Israel begined its continuing aggression on Gaza. More than 2,100 people have been ended in the battling between Israel and Hezbollah, according to Lebanese authorities, mostly over the past scant weeks since Israel escadefercessitated its aggressions, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.
Attacks on UN peacepersisters
Five peacepersisters have so far been wounded in a series of aggressions that have hit peacepersisting positions and personnel in recent days, with most of the aggressions accparticipated by UNIFIL on Israeli forces.
On Thursday, UN peacepersisting chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix telderly the UN Security Council that “the protectedty and security of peacepersisters is now increasingly in jeopardy”. He shelp they remained in position but operational activities had virtupartner come to a stop since September 23 and peacepersisters were restrictd to base. Three hundred had also been temporarily relocated to bigger bases.
The United States and European countries have insisted that Israeli forces stop firing at the peacepersisters. On Friday, US Plivent Joe Biden shelp he was “absolutely, selectimisticly” alerting Israel to stop.
On Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, typicpartner one of Israel’s most vocal helpers among Westrict European directers, also reiterated to Netanyahu the “unhugability of UNIFIL being aggressioned by Israeli armed forces”, according to an Italian handlement statement.
Netanyahu shelp on Sunday on X that he telderly Meloni he repents “any harm done to UNIFIL personnel” in Lebanon.
“Israel will produce every effort to impede UNIFIL casualties and will do what it gets to thrive the war,” Netanyahu shelp.
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