Decision regarding soldiers staying on mission UNIFILE in the south Lebanon was announced on Saturday by a spokesman Provisional Armed Forces UN in Lebanon, Andrea Tenenti.
In his opinion, Israeli escalation against Lebanese fighters Hezbollah in recent weeks, it is threatening to turn into a “regional conflict with disastrous consequences for all”, and the only solution remains a “diplomatic” solution.
War in the Middle East. UNIFIL troops remain in Lebanon
Shortly after Tenenti made his statement, UNIFIL reported that the actions were most likely caused by the Israeli military a fifth soldier has already been injured peace mission in Lebanon.
According to the UNIFIL spokesman, Israel was to ask to withdraw from a position within five kilometers of the so-called the blue line separating the two countries, but the peacekeepers refused.
– The unanimous decision was made to staybecause it is important that the UN flag continues to fly high in this region and that we can report to the Security Council, he told AFP.
Formerly president Ireland Michael Higgins reported that Israel demands that all UNIFIL operate under a UN mandate he left his positionswhich he defined as “outrageous”.
Wave of criticism after Israeli shelling of the UN peacekeeping mission
UNIFIL is a mission of approx. 9.5 thousand soldiers from different countriestasked with monitoring the ceasefire that ended Israel's 33-day war with Hezbollah in 2006.
Israel did not ask UNIFIL to evacuate its headquarters in the city of Nakura, however in recent days, UN forces have repeatedly come under fire from the Israeli armywhich brought a wave of criticism towards Israel from Western leaders.
A total of four soldiers were injured. A fifth serviceman was to be injured on Friday evening.
War in the Middle East. Joint statement on the initiative of Poland
On Saturday, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that at the initiative of Poland, a group of 34 countries participating in the UN mission in Lebanonincluding three permanent members of the UN Security Council, issued a joint statement condemning the recent attacks on the mission's force base.
– Countries participating in the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon called for immediate action to cease attacks on the mission's force base and to provide appropriate protection for UN personnel. Such actions must be stopped immediately and properly investigated, it stressed.
At the same time, all countries confirmed theirs full support for UNIFIL's mission and activitieswhose main goal is to ensure stability and lasting peace in southern Lebanon and throughout Middle Eastin accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The statement was addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang, Deputy Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and members of the Security Council.
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