Binyamin Netanyahu urges UN to evacuate peacekeepers from combat areas in Lebanon

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu urged the United Nations on Sunday to evacuate troops in its Unifil peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.
Netanyahu said the military had asked the UN to evacuate the soldiers repeatedly, adding that their presence in the area made them hostages of Hizbullah.
Five peacekeepers have been injured so far amid the escalating conflict in southern Lebanon, according to Unifil, with the latest wounded on Friday after beiung hit by gunfire that broke out near Unifil headquarters in Naqoura. After undergoing surgery at the Naqoura hospital to remove the bullet he was in stable condition, a Unifil statement said.
Unifil could not confirm the origin of the gunfire. The Defence Forces said on Saturday afternoon that all Irish peacekeepers were accounted for and well.
Two other peacekeepers were injured on Friday by an Israeli strike near their watchtower in south Lebanon while another two peacekeepers were injured on Thursday after falling from a watchtower after Israeli tank fire.
Ireland has co-signed, with 33 other Unifil-contributing countries, a statement initiated by Poland condemning recent incidents in Lebanon and calling for the safety of UN personnel to be respected.
“We consider Unifil’s role as particularly crucial in light of the escalating situation in the region. We therefore strongly condemn recent attacks on Unifil peacekeepers. Such actions should stop immediately and should be adequately investigated,” said the statement.
“We urge the parties of the conflict to respect Unifil’s presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times, so that they can continue to implement its mandate and continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region.”
Also on Friday night, buildings at Unifil’s position in Ramyah sustained significant damage due to explosions from nearby shelling.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said on Saturday there needed to be a full de-escalation across the region from all actors.
“The indiscriminate bombing and killing in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon must stop. There needs to be full de-escalation across the region from all actors. Above all, UN peacekeepers must be respected and protected. The international community needs to be very clear about that,” Mr Martin said.
On Saturday the Israeli military ordered residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages on Saturday to evacuate to areas north of the Awali river, which flows from the western Bekaa Valley into the Mediterranean.
The order, communicated via a military statement, mentions villages in southern Lebanon that have been recent targets of Israeli attacks, many of which are already almost empty.
The Israeli military stated that evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents due to increased Hizbullah activities, claiming the group is using sites to conceal weapons and launch attacks on Israel. Hizbullah denies concealing its weapons among civilians.
The conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, which erupted one year ago when the Iranian-backed group began launching rockets at northern Israel in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war, has dramatically escalated over the past month.
Intensified Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut have forced about 1.2 million people from their homes since September 23rd, according to the Lebanese government.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Saturday that more Lebanese had now been displaced than during the last major war between Israel and Hizbullah in 2006, when about one million fled their homes. – Agencies