“Refusing to withdraw UNIFIL means leaving them in the hands of Hezbollah, which puts their lives and the lives of our troops at risk,” Netanyahu said in a message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He stressed, ‘It is time to remove UN peacekeepers from Hezbollah strongholds and war zones.’Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the United Nations to withdraw its peacekeeping forces from southern Lebanon. He said their presence poses a threat to both UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) and Israeli troops.
Five UN Peacekeepers Injured So Far:
A day earlier, UNIFIL had informed that another UN peacekeeper had been injured by gunfire in southern Lebanon, who was the fifth UN peacekeeper to be injured in recent daysThe peacekeeper was wounded in ongoing military activity near its headquarters in the southern city of Naqora on Friday night, UNIFIL said in a statement on Saturday. UN peacekeepers are being injured amid the ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces have appealed to UN peacekeepers to evacuate the area. A UNIFIL spokesman said on Saturday that the decision to remain in the border area had been taken “unanimously”.
Read This: Israeli Defence Minister Gallant Said: Our Response Will Be Fatal
Two Sri Lankan Soldiers Were Injured:
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted on Friday that its troops were responsible for an incident in which two Sri Lankan soldiers were injured in Nakoura. The IDF said that soldiers stationed near the base opened fire after identifying a threat and that the incident would be investigated “at the highest level.”
Many Countries Including India Condemned:
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemns” the attack. Earlier on Thursday, two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured in shelling by Israeli tanks. The leaders of France, Italy, and Spain, including India, have condemned the Israeli attacks and said that they are unjustified and should be stopped immediately.
