The United Nations said on Sunday that Israeli tanks drove into the gates of one of its peacekeeping bases in southern Lebanon, the latest accusation of violations and attacks that have drawn condemnation from Israel’s own allies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the United Nations to remove UNIFIL peacekeeping troops from war zones in Lebanon. A few hours later, the force reported what it described as additional Israeli violations, including the forced entry of tanks through a base gate.
“The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and war zones,” Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The IDF has repeatedly requested this and been repeatedly denied, which has the effect of providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists.”
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has denied Israel’s accusation that it uses the proximity of peacekeepers for protection.
So far five peacekeepers have been injured in a series of attacks on peacekeeping posts and personnel in recent days, most of which UNIFIL has blamed on Israeli forces.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, usually one of Israel’s most vocal supporters among Western European leaders, spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Sunday and condemned the Israeli attacks.
Italy has more than a thousand troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force, making it one of the largest contributors of personnel. France and Spain, which have a force of about 700 troops, also condemned the Israeli attacks.
“Prime Minister Meloni reiterated the unacceptability of UNIFIL being attacked by Israeli armed forces,” the Italian government said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Sunday that the country has banned the entry of UN chief Guterres because of his failure to adequately condemn Iran for the missile attack earlier this month, which Katz said Has been described as anti-Semitic. Anti-Israel behavior.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 to monitor southern Lebanon. Since then, the region has seen frequent conflict, with Israel invading in 1982, occupying southern Lebanon by 2000, and fighting a major five-week war against Hezbollah again in 2006.
Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah over the past three weeks has been the deadliest in Lebanon in decades, driving 1.2 million Lebanese from their homes and striking an unprecedented blow against the group by killing most of its senior leadership.
Israeli officials say UNIFIL has failed in its mission to uphold UN Resolution 1701, passed after the 2006 war, which calls for the border area in southern Lebanon to be freed from weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state .
The Pentagon said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed “deep concern” in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Gallant on Saturday about reports that Israeli forces had fired on peacekeeping positions and that Israeli and Lebanese forces had Was requested to ensure security. The Lebanese Army is not a party to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.
security at risk
The Israeli military asked UN peacekeepers about two weeks ago to be prepared to move more than 5 km (3 miles) from the border “to maintain their security”, according to an excerpt of the message seen by Reuters. Said.
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday that “the safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly under threat”. They remained in post but from 23 September operational activities were virtually halted and the peacekeepers were confined to the base. Three hundred were temporarily transferred to larger bases.
A UNIFIL spokesperson said on Thursday that attacks on watchtowers, cameras, communications equipment and lighting systems have limited UNIFIL’s monitoring capabilities. UN sources said they feared Israeli attacks would make it impossible to monitor violations of international law.
Lebanon’s government says more than 2,100 people have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded in more than a year of fighting, mainly during the past few weeks. The death toll did not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but included large numbers of women and children.
high alert
The Middle East is on high alert for further escalation in a year of war that began with Iran-backed Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In particular, the region is ready for Israel to retaliate against Iran on October 1. A volley of long-range missiles was launched in response to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Iran said on Sunday it had “no red lines” to defend itself. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments appear to be aimed at countering suggestions that Iran would withstand an Israeli attack without any response, as Tehran did earlier this year when Israel fired the last round of Iranian missiles. Iran was attacked after the attack.
NBC reported on Saturday that US officials believe Israel has narrowed down the targets in possible retaliation for the Iranian missile barrage and will aim to target military and energy infrastructure. It says there is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities in Iran or carry out assassinations.
The NBC report suggested that an Israeli attack was imminent, citing American and Israeli officials as saying it could occur during the Jewish Yom Kippur holidays. However, that holiday ended on Saturday evening without any Israeli attacks.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a news conference with Araqchi in Baghdad that the outbreak of an all-out war could disrupt shipping lanes in the region, threaten energy exports and lead to a major energy crisis.
“We call on all influential and concerned countries to work to stop the war and initiate a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon,” Hussein said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)