Netanyahu tells UN peacekeepers to leave ‘danger zone’ in Southern Lebanon

Israel’s Prime Minister has urged the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon to move away from areas where fighting is taking place “immediately”.

In a video statement issued by his office on Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) to get its troops “out of harm’s way”, claiming that their presence in the region made them “hostages of Hezbollah”.

His comments come following condemnation of several instances of UNIFIL troops being injured due to military action in the region – with Israel admitting responsibility for firing toward UN posts in some cases.

Israel has previously asked UNIFIL to withdraw north by five kilometres after it launched an invasion targeting the armed group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been trading near daily cross-border fire since last October, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel.

Nearly 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are stationed in Lebanon, alongside around 800 civilian staff.

Since 1978, they have patrolled the area between the Litani River and the UN-recognised boundary between Lebanon and Israel known as the “Blue Line”. Five peacekeepers have been injured in recent days. (BBC)

The post Netanyahu tells UN peacekeepers to leave ‘danger zone’ in Southern Lebanon appeared first on DailyNews.