“Unacceptable” – Italian PM criticizes Israel’s attack on UNIFIL

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

In a phone call with Netanyahu, Meloni expressed her condemnation of the Israeli attack on UNIFIL and called for the implementation of 1701.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described Tel Aviv’s attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as “unacceptable” in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

“Prime Minister Meloni reiterated that it is unacceptable for UNIFIL to be attacked by the Israeli Armed Forces,” said a statement from the Italian prime minister’s office.

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Meloni stressed during the conversation with Netanyahu that the peacekeeping force is mandated by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to “contribute to regional stability” and must be protected at all times, Anadolu News Agency reported.

She reportedly stressed to her Israeli counterpart the importance of “full implementation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which she said will stabilize the borders between the two countries and “ensure the return of displaced people to their homes.”

According to the statement, Meloni also reiterated her country’s full commitment to “de-escalating tensions in the region.”

Netanyahu wants UNIFIL out

Netanyahu called on Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping force from southern Lebanon.

In a televised address, he called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to withdraw UNIFIL troops from areas he described as “Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones”, claiming this was necessary to avoid putting them in danger.

Netanyahu said that the Israeli military had repeatedly called for the withdrawal of UNIFIL but that request had been rejected, claiming that this decision was “a human shield” to protect Hezbollah fighters.

The Israeli Prime Minister expressed regret over the injuries suffered by UNIFIL personnel and assured that Israel is making efforts to prevent such incidents.

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“We regret the injury to UNIFIL soldiers and are doing everything in our power to prevent this injury,” Netanyahu said. “But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of harm’s way.”

However, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati rejected Netanyahu’s call and reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and UNIFIL’s role in southern Lebanon.

Mikati called on the international community to take a firm stand against Israel’s continued aggression, stressing that Netanyahu’s call to remove UNIFIL is another example of Israel’s failure to respect international legitimacy.

Mikati also accused Netanyahu of showing hostility toward UNIFIL troops, which have operated in southern Lebanon for decades.

UNIFIL in serious danger

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix expressed at a UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon on Thursday the “serious risk” faced by peacekeepers in Lebanon given Israel’s war against the country, Anadolu news agency reported.

The UN official announced during the meeting that the “security” of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is “now increasingly at risk” due to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

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Lacroix’s statement came after two UN peacekeepers were injured on Thursday when Israeli forces fired on the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon, where Italian troops are stationed.

According to Lacroix, much of southern Lebanon, which he said is also a “UNIFIL area of ​​operations,” is uninhabited and increasingly uninhabitable due to intense Israeli bombardment, which he said is due to “Israel’s stated goal is the return of residents to their northern communities.” after a year of fear, a year of displacement.”

(PC, Anadolu)