Ireland fumes at Israel for telling UN peacekeepers to leave posts in south Lebanon

DUBLIN — The president of Ireland sharply criticizes Israel’s demand that UN peacekeepers leave their positions in southern Lebanon.

“It is outrageous that the Israel Defense Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and sought to have them evacuate the villages they are defending,” President Michael Higgins says in a statement.

“Indeed, Israel is demanding that the entire UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operating under UN mandates walk away.”

Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UNIFIL forces, which are charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.

Earlier today, UNIFIL said it had rejected Israeli demands that it “relocate” some positions ahead of Israeli ground operations against Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

Higgins calls the demand “an insult to the most important global institution.”