ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded today that the United Nations remove its peacekeepers from Lebanon’s “danger zone.”
He told UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres: “Your refusal to evacuate the Unifil soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah.
“Mr secretary-general, get the Unifil forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.”
Israeli forces have been responsible for wounding five UN peacekeepers since Thursday.
Mr Netanyahu’s demand came after 40 countries with troops in Unifil demanded security guarantees for the peacekeepers.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has been operating since 1978, when it was deployed following an invasion by Israel.
The forces currently has more than 10,000 soldiers from 50 countries and around 800 civilian staff.
Their role is to maintain calm and reduce tensions along the “blue line” dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
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