Amidst wide international condemnation of Israel’s attack on UNIFIL, Lacroix says peacekeepers are “now increasingly in jeopardy”.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, voiced at a UN Security Council session on Lebanon on Thursday the “serious risk” peacekeepers confront in Lebanon amid Israel’s war on the country, Anadolu news agency reported.
The UN official revealed during the session that the “safety and security” of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is “now increasingly in jeopardy” due to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Lacroix’s declaration came after two UN peacekeepers were injured on Thursday when Israeli forces fired at the headquarters of UNIFIL in south Lebanon where Italian troops are stationed.
According to Lacroix, much of southern Lebanon, which he said is also a “UNIFIL’s area of operations, is now uninhabited and increasingly uninhabitable” due to Israel’s intense bombardment which he attributed to “Israel’s stated aim is the return of inhabitants to their northern communities after one year of fear, one year of displacement.”
This is how close the Israeli 🇮🇱 bombs are getting to UN troops in Lebanon 🇱🇧
Pure intimidation.
The voices you hear in the background are Irish 🇮🇪 troops.
They have no intention of being intimidated.
They stand on the side of the oppressed.
They are soldiers for peace. pic.twitter.com/M3xFfy7DUQ
— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) October 9, 2024
“This situation has put our peacekeepers at serious risk,” he noted quoting a UNIFIL report on the fortified Israeli military operations against the Lebanese territory.
“Our peacekeepers have remained in position, in line with the mandate this Council has provided, while continuously reassessing the force’s posture against prevailing risks,” Lacroix said as quoted by Anadolu, stressing that “the safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy.”
The UN official told the Security Council session that due to the escalation of the conflict, UNIFIL’s “operational activities have virtually come to a halt since 23 September.”
The UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in the daily press briefing on Thursday that the two injured peacekeepers are Indonesian.
“Like I said, the basic point is that they were injured after an observation tower had been fired upon, causing the peacekeepers to fall. So that’s how they were injured,” Haq said in response to a question by one of the reporters on the kind of injuries the peacekeepers sustained.
The UN says Israeli troops have opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. Earlier this week, the UNIFIL force refused a request from the Israeli military to vacate bases near the border. pic.twitter.com/iTlJ6RMEGR
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 10, 2024
Italy Summons Israeli Ambassador
The Israeli attack on UNIFIL’s headquarters in south Lebanon where Italian troops are stationed prompted Rome to summon the Israeli ambassador.
The Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto summoned the Israeli ambassador to Italy, the Italian Ansa news agency reported.
“These incidents are intolerable and must be carefully, decisively avoided,” Crosetto reportedly said. “For this reasons, I protested to my Israeli counterpart and to the Israeli ambassador to Italy.”
The agency quoted Crosetto as saying he sent “a formal communication to the United Nations to reiterate the unacceptability of what is happening in Southern Lebanon and to ensure Italy’s full, constructive collaboration in all military initiatives aimed at promoting a de-escalation of the situation and the restoration of international law.”
The ambassador said, “The safety of the Italian soldiers deployed in Lebanon remains an absolute priority for me and for the entire Italian government, so that the Italian peacekeepers continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region.”
‘Intolerable’ – Israel Attacks UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon, Italy Summons Ambassador
‘Barbarity must be Stopped’ – Spain
Spain’s left-wing Podemos party criticized Israel on Thursday for its attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, stressing that “the barbarity must be stopped,” Anadolu reported.
The leader of the left-wing party Ione Belarra pointed out in a post on X that Israel “has been allowed to bomb five countries in the region with impunity and genocide has been committed against innocent men, women and children.”
Belarra demanded that the genocide in Gaza must stop immediately slamming Western powers’ continued political and financial support of Israel.
“We said it. Today, it is the Palestinians. Tomorrow, if we do not stop the terrorist state of Israel, it could be anyone. The barbarity must be stopped in time,” Belarra said according to Anadolu.
Israel Needs to Abide by Law – Türkiye
Türkiye on its part denounced on Thursday the Israeli attack on the UNIFIL stressing that the world is under an obligation to force Israel to abide by the law.
“Israel’s attack on UN forces, following its massacres of civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, is a manifestation of its perception that its crimes go unpunished,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement according to Anadolu.
A correct position by Minister @GuidoCrosetto
Now @Palazzo_Chigi should be consequential and refer the Situation in Palestine to the @IntlCrimCourt. It is the minimum institutional step owed by the state of its founding treaty
— Luigi Daniele (@luigidaniele10) October 11, 2024
“The international community is obligated to ensure that Israel abides by international law,” it continued.
The foreign ministry vowed that Türkiye will continue to exert all efforts to achieve peace in the region based on international law.
‘Alarming and Unacceptable’ – Canada
The Canadian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli repeated attacks on UNIFIL.
“The IDF firing on UNIFIL peacekeepers and first responders in Lebanon is alarming and unacceptable,” the foreign ministry said in a post on X as reported by Anadolu.
Canada reiterated its “full support for UNIFIL and its critical role in contributing to a diplomatic settlement consistent with UNSCR 1701.”
The foreign ministry demanded the “the protection of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers”, while urging all parties “to comply with international humanitarian law.”
Previous Attacks
UNIFIL said earlier Thursday that its headquarters in the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura and two nearby sites had been struck by Israeli forces.
On Thursday morning, an Israeli Merkava tank fired on an observation tower, striking it directly and causing two peacekeepers to fall, sending them to hospital with minor injuries, UNIFIL said in a statement.
On Wednesday, UNIFIL said, Israeli forces deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras.
BREAKING:
🇮🇱🇮🇪 Israel began firing on Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon
"This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon towards an observation tower at UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall.
The… pic.twitter.com/HJtodHn3xG
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) October 10, 2024
The occupation forces also deliberately fired on UNP 1-32A, where regular Tripartite meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station, according to a UN News report.
“In the past days we have seen incursions from Israel into Lebanon in Naqoura and other areas,” the UN mission said, confirming that the Israeli forces have clashed with Hezbollah fighters on the ground.
Israeli forces also fired on UN position 1-31 in Ras Naqoura, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering and damaging vehicles and a communications system, the report added.
An Israeli military drone was also observed flying inside the UN position up to the bunker entrance.
“We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times,” the UN mission said.
UN peacekeepers are present in south Lebanon to support a return to stability under a 2006 Security Council mandate. UNIFIL said any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolution 1701.
(Anadolu, PC)
Be the first to comment