The United States, France, Italy, and Spain have all denounced the IDF firing at the UN peacekeeping mission posts in southern Lebanon, as Israeli troops operate against Hezbollah in that region.
A reporter asked US President Joe Biden on Friday, “Are you asking Israel to stop hitting UN peacekeepers?”
Biden responded, “Absolutely, positively.”
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasized to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “the importance of ensuring the safety of [peacekeeper] forces in the area and urged coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible.”
Actions widely condemned
The leaders of France, Italy, and Spain on Friday condemned the firing on the position of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) explaining that such attacks were “unjustifiable” and should “immediately come to an end.”
Two UN peacekeepers were injured on Friday by an Israeli strike near their watchtower in south Lebanon, the Israeli military said, while blasts shook the peacekeepers’ main base in the area in Naquora for the second time in 48 hours as Israeli forces battled Hezbollah.
The three countries, the largest European contributors to UNIFIL in terms of personnel, expressed “outrage” in a joint statement after several peacekeepers were hit there.
“These attacks constitute a serious violation of the obligations of Israel under UNSCR [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701 and under humanitarian international law,” the statement said.
“We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our praise for the continued and indispensable commitment of UNIFIL troops/personnel in this very challenging context,” it added, calling for “an immediate ceasefire.”
The three nations said they counted “on Israel’s commitment to the security of UN and bilateral peacekeeping missions in Lebanon as well as international organizations active in the region.”
The IDF said that Friday’s firing at a UNIFIL post took place as its forces were operating against an “immediate threat against them.” It said it was examining the circumstances of the incident but blamed Hezbollah for deliberately operating near such posts.