UN says Israeli tanks forced into southern Lebanon as Netanyahu tells troops to leave

The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon says Israeli tanks forced their way into their positions early Sunday morning.

In a statement, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said two Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) tanks destroyed the main gate of the area in Ramyah, near the Israeli border, and “forcefully entered the position” to demand that the gate be opened. lights.

About two hours later, gunfire erupted near where they saw smoke entering the camp, causing 15 peacekeepers to suffer severe skin and bowel injuries.

The IDF gave a different version of events, saying it entered the Unifil area to evacuate soldiers wounded by an anti-tank missile.

It said two soldiers were seriously injured in the attack, while others were slightly injured.

“In order to evacuate the wounded, two tanks drove backwards, in an area where they could not advance due to the threat of fire, a few meters towards the Unifil area,” the IDF said.

It also added that during the incident, a gun was fired to facilitate the evacuation – and that it “maintained continuous communication” with Unifil, stressing that “there is no threat to the Unifil forces in the IDF operations”.

The incident is the latest in a growing number of clashes between Unifil and the Israeli army.

Israel has also called on peacekeepers to withdraw from southern Lebanon where fighting has taken place, after it launched an offensive on September 30 against the armed group Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Unifil to “immediately” remove its troops from “danger” in a statement issued by his office on Sunday, saying their presence in the region had made them “hostages of Hezbollah”.

Unifil has so far rejected these requests.

Israel has faced international condemnation for past crimes in which Unifil soldiers were injured in southern Lebanon – and the IDF admits responsibility for shelling UN positions in other cases.

Unifil said: “For the fourth time in as many days, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and assets and to respect the inviolability of UN buildings at all times.”

It described the violation of its position in Ramyah as “a flagrant violation of international law”.

Unifil added that on Saturday Israeli forces prevented them from making “critical” movements near Meiss El Jebel, which is also close to the border.

The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.

Hezbollah and Israel have been trading near-daily firefights since last October, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel.

About 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are working in Lebanon, along with about 800 personnel.

Since 1978, they have been patrolling the area between the Litani river and the border recognized by the UN between Lebanon and Israel known as the “Blue Line”.

Israel previously asked Unifil to withdraw to the north by 5km (3 miles).

Before Sunday’s incidents, five soldiers were injured who were keeping the peace these days.

On Saturday, Unifil said a soldier was shot at its headquarters in the town of Naquora – although it did not know where the bullet came from.

The previous day, the IDF said its forces were dealing with an incident in which two Unifil soldiers from Sri Lanka were injured.

On Thursday, two Indonesian Unifil soldiers were injured when they fell from an observation tower after an Israeli tank fired at them.

Those incidents drew condemnation from many of Israel’s allies, including France, Italy and Spain. A Downing Street spokesman said the UK was “shocked”.

In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu said that European leaders must direct their criticism to Hezbollah, not Israel.

Israel says Unifil has failed to stabilize the region and prevent Hezbollah fighters from operating south of the Litani river – among the reasons for the UN presence there.

It previously said it was acting on a 2004 UN resolution that called for the disbandment of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militant groups, and that its request for peacekeepers to withdraw was so it could deal with Hezbollah.

Netanyahu said these complaints were “met and rejected”, and that Unifil was providing a “human shield to Hezbollah terrorists”.

“This puts them and the lives of our soldiers at risk,” he added.

“We are sorry for the injuries to Unifil soldiers and we are doing everything we can to prevent these injuries. But the easiest and most obvious way to ensure this is to get them out of the danger zone.”

Unifil officials have repeatedly refused to withdraw troops from the region.

Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson of the council, told AFP on Saturday that there was a “unanimous decision to stay because it is important that the UN flag still flies high in this region”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nijab Mikati criticized Netanyahu’s position.

In a statement, he said the Israeli Prime Minister’s comments represent “a new chapter in the enemy’s path of non-compliance with international law”.

Mikati called on other nations to “take strong action to stop Israeli violence”.