Netanyahu said that the Israeli military had repeatedly requested the withdrawal of UNIFIL, but the request had been denied.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) from southern Lebanon.

In a televised address, Netanyahu urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to remove UNIFIL forces from areas he described as “Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones,” claiming that this was necessary to prevent putting them in danger.

Netanyahu said that the Israeli military had repeatedly requested the withdrawal of UNIFIL, but the request had been denied, claiming this decision “provided a human shield” to protect Hezbollah fighters. 

The Israeli Prime Minister expressed regret over injuries to UNIFIL personnel and asserted that Israel is making efforts to prevent such incidents.

ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU (in a letter to Guterres): It is time to withdraw UNIFIL forces from Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones, and we have repeatedly requested this. pic.twitter.com/BGuQyr9X5F

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 13, 2024

“We regret the injuring of UNIFIL soldiers and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this injuring,” Netanyahu said. “But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, however, rejected Netanyahu’s call, reaffirming Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and UNIFIL’s role in southern Lebanon. 

Mikati urged the international community to take a firm stand against Israel’s ongoing aggression, asserting that Netanyahu’s demand to remove UNIFIL is another example of Israel’s failure to comply with international legitimacy.

Mikati further accused Netanyahu of displaying hostility toward UNIFIL forces, which have been operating in southern Lebanon for decades.

Israel Forces Breach UNIFIL Position

UNIFIL peacekeepers announced in a statement on Sunday that Israeli tanks broke through a gate to enter one of its positions.

“At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two (Israeli) Merkava tanks destroyed the position’s gate and forcibly entered the position” in the Ramia area, UNIFIL said.

The tanks reportedly left 45 minutes later.

UNIFIL:

This morning in the town of Ramya, we observed 3 Israeli army factions crossing the Blue Line into Lebanon.

Two Israeli Merkava tanks destroyed the gate of our position in Ramya, forced their way into the headquarters and left after 45 minutes.

Bursts of gunfire were… pic.twitter.com/xcV55EwYhN

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 13, 2024

The statement also said that on Saturday Israeli soldiers “stopped a critical UNIFIL logistical movement near Mais al-Jabal, denying it passage.”

This is not the first time Israeli forces have targeted UNIFIL forces since the ground operation in Lebanon has started.

On October 10, UNIFIL reported that two peacekeepers were injured when an Israeli attack hit a UN observation tower in Lebanon. 

The following day, Israeli forces targeted the main entrance of UNIFIL’s command center in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura with artillery shells.

(PC, AJA)