Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) to immediately relocate from conflict zones, citing heightened risks to the peacekeepers amid increasing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu, in a video statement released by his office on Sunday, emphasized that the presence of UNIFIL forces in areas of heavy fighting made them “hostages of Hezbollah” and urged them to move “out of harm’s way.” His comments follow recent incidents in which several UN peacekeepers were injured, drawing condemnation from the international community.
The situation on the Israel-Lebanon border has become increasingly volatile since October 2023, when the militant Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel. The attack triggered an intensification of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia militant organization allied with Hamas. This escalation has led to near-daily exchanges of fire along the border, heightening fears of a broader conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, has been stationed in the region since 1978, with its primary mission being to monitor the border and prevent hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah. The force consists of nearly 10,000 troops from 50 countries, alongside about 800 civilian personnel. They are tasked with patrolling the area between the Litani River and the UN-recognized boundary known as the “Blue Line,” which demarcates the border between the two countries.
Despite its presence, Israel has repeatedly expressed frustration with UNIFIL, claiming that the force has failed to prevent Hezbollah from conducting military operations in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu’s latest remarks highlight growing concerns about the role and safety of UNIFIL as fighting intensifies in the region.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s call for UNIFIL’s withdrawal follows a series of incidents in which peacekeepers were injured due to military action in the area. In one recent case, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted responsibility for firing toward a UN post, injuring two Sri Lankan peacekeepers. In another incident, two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured when an Israeli tank shell landed near an observation post, causing the soldiers to fall from a tower. On Saturday, a UNIFIL soldier was shot at the force’s headquarters in Naquora, although it remains unclear which side was responsible for the bullet.
These incidents have sparked sharp rebukes from several of Israel’s key allies, including France, Italy, and Spain. The UK government also expressed its dismay, with a Downing Street spokesperson stating, “We are appalled by the injuries sustained by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. All sides must respect the safety and neutrality of UN personnel.”
In response to these incidents, Netanyahu has been steadfast in his argument that European leaders should shift their criticism away from Israel and focus instead on Hezbollah. He reiterated Israel’s claim that UNIFIL’s presence serves as a “human shield” for Hezbollah fighters, who continue to operate near the Blue Line despite international efforts to maintain peace.
“We regret the injuring of UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this from happening,” Netanyahu said. “But the simple and obvious way to ensure their safety is to get them out of the danger zone.”
UNIFIL, however, has resisted calls to withdraw from the region, citing the importance of maintaining a UN presence to promote peace and stability. In a statement on Saturday, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti reaffirmed the force’s commitment to staying in southern Lebanon, saying, “There has been a unanimous decision to stay because it’s important for the UN flag to still fly high in this region.”
Lebanon’s government also strongly condemned Netanyahu’s comments, with Prime Minister Nijab Mikati accusing Israel of violating international norms. “The Israeli Prime Minister’s statements represent a new chapter in the enemy’s approach of not complying with international legitimacy,” Mikati said in a statement. He called on the international community to take a firm stance against what he described as “Israeli aggression.”
UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon is rooted in a series of UN Security Council resolutions, most notably Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The resolution called for the disbanding of all militias in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, and tasked UNIFIL with ensuring that Hezbollah did not rearm or launch military operations near the Israeli border. However, Israel has long accused UNIFIL of failing to enforce this mandate effectively, arguing that Hezbollah has steadily expanded its military capabilities in the years since the resolution was passed.
Hezbollah, which is both a political party and a paramilitary organization in Lebanon, has been a central actor in the tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. The group, which receives backing from Iran, has engaged in frequent cross-border exchanges of fire with Israel, and its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon has been a persistent concern for the Israeli government. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has publicly stated that his forces are prepared to confront Israel if the situation escalates further.
Since the outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas last year, Hezbollah has stepped up its activities along the border, launching rocket and missile attacks on Israeli military positions. In response, Israel has conducted airstrikes and artillery bombardments targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. While both sides have so far refrained from full-scale war, the repeated skirmishes and the presence of UNIFIL troops in the conflict zone have raised the stakes, making the possibility of accidental or deliberate escalation more likely.
Israel has previously called for a 5-kilometer withdrawal of UNIFIL forces from the conflict zone as part of its strategy to confront Hezbollah more effectively. Netanyahu’s latest statement suggests that Israel remains committed to this policy, despite resistance from both UNIFIL and the Lebanese government.
The continued presence of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon is a key issue in international diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. While UNIFIL’s mission is supported by the UN Security Council and numerous Western governments, Israel’s growing frustration with the force has led to questions about its effectiveness in a region where hostilities have persisted for decades.
For Israel, the presence of Hezbollah fighters near its northern border represents a significant security threat, and Netanyahu’s government has made it clear that it views UNIFIL’s inability to curb Hezbollah’s operations as a serious failure. The Israeli government has also pointed to UN Security Council Resolution 1559, passed in 2004, which called for the disbanding of all non-state militias in Lebanon, as justification for its stance.
However, for UNIFIL and its supporters, including the Lebanese government, the force’s presence is seen as a vital stabilizing factor in a region where tensions could easily spiral out of control. Lebanese officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of UNIFIL in maintaining peace along the border and have called on the international community to continue supporting the mission.
The current situation places the international community in a difficult position. While Israel has legitimate security concerns about Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon, any reduction in UNIFIL’s presence could lead to an escalation of violence, which would have devastating consequences for both Lebanon and Israel. Furthermore, the safety of UNIFIL personnel remains a pressing concern, as the risk of further casualties among peacekeepers continues to grow.
As tensions mount on the Israel-Lebanon border, the role of UNIFIL has come under intense scrutiny. Netanyahu’s call for the peacekeeping force to withdraw from conflict zones underscores the precarious nature of the situation and highlights the challenges faced by international efforts to maintain peace in a volatile region.
With Hezbollah and Israel continuing to exchange fire, and with UNIFIL peacekeepers caught in the crossfire, the international community faces a delicate balancing act. The question of how to protect peacekeepers while ensuring that they can carry out their mission remains unresolved, and the future of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon is far from certain.
