PM: UN must withdraw south Lebanon peacekeepers from combat zone, Hezbollah using them as human shield

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls on UN to withdraw peacekeepers from south Lebanon on October 13, 2024 (Screen grab/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls on UN to withdraw peacekeepers from south Lebanon on October 13, 2024 (Screen grab/GPO)

The tensions between Israel and the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon continue to escalate, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for the UNIFIL soldiers to be withdrawn from combat areas.

Addressing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu says in a Hebrew-language message, “It is time for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the areas of combat.”

“The IDF has repeatedly asked for this, and has been met with repeated refusals, all aimed at providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” says Netanyahu.

“Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Netanyahu says in English.

UNIFIL says the IDF has hit a number of UNIFIL posts, including the headquarters at Naqoura. UNIFIL soldiers have been lightly injured in the incidents.

“Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah,” says Netanyahu. “This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers.”

Netanyahu says Israel “regrets the injury” to the peacekeepers, and that Israel is doing whatever it can to prevent that happening.

“But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is just get them out of the danger zone,” says Netanyahu.

The prime minister says European leaders should be criticizing Hezbollah, not Israel, for using UNIFIL as a “human shield.”

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