Netanyahu calls for UNIFIL withdrawal amid Lebanon clashes

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a call on Sunday for the evacuation of UN peacekeeping forces from the southern regions of Lebanon, where clashes are currently ongoing. The Israeli leader addressed the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, directly in his statement, urging action regarding the UNIFIL mission.

"The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones,” Netanyahu said in a statement published online. He pointed out that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have repeatedly highlighted this issue but faced refusals, which—according to the Israeli Prime Minister—were aimed at protecting Hezbollah.

Netanyahu assessed that the lack of evacuation of troops from conflict areas makes them "hostages of Hezbollah." The Prime Minister also emphasized that such a situation endangers not only the lives of UN soldiers but also those of Israeli soldiers operating in the area.

“The IDF has repeatedly asked for this, and has been met with repeated refusals, all aimed at providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” added Netanyahu. The Prime Minister expressed regret over incidents in which members of the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission were injured.

“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,” he added.

The command of the UN mission confirmed on Thursday that the UNIFIL headquarters and nearby positions have repeatedly come under "attacks" recently. It was reported that Israeli soldiers fired at surveillance cameras belonging to the UN forces. Reuters reported that day that Israelis fired from a tank at one of the watchtowers near the base in Naqoura. The attack caused two soldiers to fall, who sustained minor injuries.