Tel Aviv, MINA – 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, Palestine Chronicle reports.
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.
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“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. (T/RE1/P2)
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