Austrian FM: EU countries won’t pull their UNIFIL troops from south Lebanon

European Union countries that contribute to UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in Lebanon have no intention of pulling back from the south of the country despite Israeli calls to do so, says Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to withdraw UNIFIL forces “from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones.”

But Schallenberg, summarizing a discussion among EU foreign ministers on Monday, says European nations do not intend to pull troops back or out.

“There was no debate about pulling back or whatever,” he tells Reuters in an interview in Brussels. “They are there to stay but the security and the safety of our troops is paramount and has to be ensured by everybody,” says Schallenberg, whose country has about 160 soldiers in UNIFIL.

European nations contribute about 3,600 troops to the 10,000-strong force.

EU contributors plan to hold a video call today on their current posture and the longer-term role of the mission when it comes to troop levels, equipment and rules of engagement, according to European officials.