UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Photo: Eric Bridiers.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that UN peacekeeping forces will remain in South Lebanon, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands for their withdrawal. This was reported by EFE.
“Despite the attacks, UNIFIL personnel remain in their positions and the UN flag continues to fly,” Guterres said in a statement. He stressed that the “security and integrity” of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon must be guaranteed and the integrity of the UN must be fully respected.
This statement came after Netanyahu called for the withdrawal of peacekeepers from southern Lebanon in a recorded address. In recent days, Israel has stepped up its military activity in the region, which has drawn condemnation from international organisations and the European Union.
On Sunday, two Israeli tanks broke into a UNIFIL base in South Lebanon, in what Guterres called a “deeply disturbing” incident. The Merkava tanks broke through the main gate of the base, entered the territory and remained there for 45 minutes. The peacekeepers also heard gunfire 100 metres north of the base, leaving 15 soldiers suffering from skin irritation and gastrointestinal problems caused by smoke.
Meanwhile, the Hezbollah group claimed responsibility for an attack on an Israeli brigade near the city of Haifa, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring seven others. Israel continues to bomb several regions of Lebanon, including the south of the country and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force, consisting of approximately 9,500 troops from 50 countries, is deployed in Lebanon under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
