Israel urges UNIFIL to move North; UN forces reject request
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, called for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to relocate its troops 5 kilometers north, citing safety concerns as fighting intensifies.
Danon requested international condemnation of Israel’s alleged deliberate targeting of UN positions, stressing that “Israel will continue its dialogue and coordination with UNIFIL” and reiterating that Israel does not wish to remain in Lebanon but “will do what is necessary to push Hezbollah away from its northern borders.”
In response, UNIFIL’s spokesperson in Lebanon, Andrea Tenenti, told Al Arabiya TV Channel that the mission has rejected Israel’s request. “Our forces will remain in their current positions,” Tenenti said, adding that UNIFIL is deployed in southern Lebanon under a UN mandate aimed at reducing tensions and restoring calm along the Blue Line.
Tenenti also highlighted the importance of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, as “the solution to restoring stability along the Israel-Lebanon border.”
As Israel continues its airstrikes across Lebanon, Hezbollah has responded by launching rocket attacks on northern Israel. In the midst of the escalating violence, a UN source told Reuters that Israeli forces fired at three UNIFIL sites on Thursday, including the mission’s headquarters in Naqoura.
Two UN peacekeepers were injured on Wednesday after an Israeli tank fired on a UN watchtower.
Deliberate Attacks
In a statement, UNIFIL condemned the recent violence along the Blue Line, noting that Israeli incursions into Lebanon, including in Naqoura, had led to direct confrontations between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters on the ground.
UNIFIL also confirmed that its headquarters and surrounding positions had been repeatedly targeted by Israeli shelling. “Israeli soldiers deliberately fired at surveillance cameras around the site, disabling them,” the statement read.
A separate Israeli tank attack on UN observation post 1-32A at Ras Naqoura damaged lighting and a radio relay station that had been used for regular trilateral meetings before the conflict erupted.
Italy and France Condemn Attacks on UN Forces
International condemnation has poured in over the attacks on UN peacekeepers. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Thursday stated that “the firing on UNIFIL sites and equipment by Israeli forces cannot be tolerated.”
France and Italy, along with Spain and Ireland, which contribute to the UNIFIL mission, have also committed to holding a meeting of European countries involved in the peacekeeping operation, according to a statement from the French Ministry of Armed Forces.
The European nations reiterated their support for UNIFIL’s mission and its role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, despite the escalating conflict.
