Netanyahu Tells UN to Get Forces Out of Harm’s Way in Lebanon

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to remove UNIFIL peacekeepers from areas of IDF activity in Southern Lebanon.

“I want to directly address the U.N. Secretary-General from here: It is time for you to remove UNIFIL from Hezbollah’s strongholds and from the combat areas,” the premier said in a statement.

“The IDF has repeatedly requested this, only to be met with refusal, a refusal aimed solely at providing Hezbollah terrorists with a human shield. Your refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers turns them into hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” he continued.

“We regret the harm caused to UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything we can to prevent it. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure their safety is to simply remove them from the danger zone. Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Netanyahu said.

“Unfortunately, some European leaders are applying pressure in the wrong place. Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct their criticism at Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as a human shield, just as Hamas in Gaza uses UNRWA as a human shield. Unfortunately, in Gaza, UNRWA even collaborates with Hamas.”

Netanyahu issued the comments following reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said on Saturday that unidentified gunfire hit a peacekeeper on Friday, the fifth U.N. soldier wounded in Southern Lebanon in two days.

UNIFIL also said that buildings in Ramyah “sustained significant damage due to explosions from nearby shelling.”

Two U.N. peacekeepers were injured on Friday by an Israeli strike close to their watchtower in Southern Lebanon, the IDF said, expressing “deep concern” and saying that troops fired at an “immediate threat” coming from near a UNIFIL position.

The IDF said that the peacekeepers were warned hours earlier to take shelter. UNIFIL said the two injured peacekeepers were from Sri Lanka.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the AFP news agency on Sunday that Netanyahu’s demand to Guterres “represents a new chapter in the enemy’s approach of not complying with international” norms.

Beirut “condemns Netanyahu’s position and the Israeli aggression against UNIFIL” peacekeepers, the Lebanese leader added.

Meanwhile on Sunday, sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee, central Galilee, Haifa, Acre and surrounding areas of northern Israel amid Hezbollah’s daily rocket, missile and drone fire across the border.

As of 3 p.m., approximately 115 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization have crossed from Lebanon into Israel today [Sunday],” the military said. “The IDF will continue to defend the State of Israel and its people against the threat posed by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”

Hezbollah terrorist captured

Israeli ground troops operating in Southern Lebanon apprehended a Hezbollah terrorist embedded in an underground compound, the IDF said on Sunday.

During a targeted raid, soldiers discovered an underground tunnel shaft in a building leading to a hideout area for terrorists with an adjacent exit shaft.

Troops encircled the building, scanned the tunnel shaft, and discovered the compound seven meters deep and a 50-meter hideout area, where the terrorist was located alongside weapons and equipment for a long-term stay.

The terrorist surrendered and was interrogated on-site before being transferred to a detention facility in Israel for further questioning, the IDF said.

Drone footage shows Israeli ground activities in Lebanon

The IDF on Sunday published drone footage of ground activities in Southern Lebanon, showcasing the work of the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade alongside the counter-terrorism unit of the Marom Paratroopers Brigade, under the command of the 91st Division, aka the Galilee Formation.

Video documentation from Southern Lebanon includes a tunnel shaft in the heart of a village, dozens of underground infrastructures and the elimination of terrorists.

“The forces are engaging in hand-to-hand combat, eliminating terrorists and destroying terror infrastructures that Hezbollah has deployed along the border,” the IDF said.

“The forces are locating, confiscating and destroying numerous weapons, including dozens of rockets, Kalashnikovs, Kornet [man-portable anti-tank guided] missiles, grenades and ammunition intended for use by Radwan Force,” the army continued.

In addition, the forces located several weapons storage facilities equipped with dozens of missiles inside civilian homes.

200 Hezbollah targets hit

The Israeli Air Force in cooperation with the IDF Northern Command struck some 200 Hezbollah terror targets in Southern Lebanon and deeper into Lebanese territory over the past 24 hours. The targets included terrorist squads, launchers, military structures, anti-tank positions and “military” headquarters.

Moreover, over the past 24 hours, ground troops in Southern Lebanon have “eliminated dozens of terrorists, uncovered shafts and located numerous weapons, including firearms, launchers, anti-tank missiles, ammunition and more.”

Two soldiers severely wounded

Two soldiers from the 9920th Battalion, 6th “Etzioni” Reserve Infantry Brigade, were severely wounded in separate incidents during combat operations in Southern Lebanon, the IDF said on Sunday.

Other soldiers were lightly and moderately wounded during the incidents.

The soldiers were evacuated to the hospital and their families were notified.

Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya reported on Sunday receiving 17 casualties from Southern Lebanon, most with minor injuries. Four were in moderate condition due to shrapnel wounds.

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