The Secretary-General of the United Nations warned António Guterres – Yesterday, Sunday – that any attacks on international peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL(“It may constitute a war crime”) after two Israeli tanks stormed the gates of a peacekeeping forces base in southern Lebanon.
This is the latest accusation against Israel of committing violations against the international peacekeeping mission and launching an attack on it in the past few days. This mission is officially known as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
“UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in all locations and the UN flag continues to fly,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
He added, “The Secretary-General stressed that UNIFIL personnel and buildings should never be targeted.” He added that attacks on peacekeepers constitute a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law. “It may constitute a war crime.”
UNIFIL said that previous attacks by Israel on a watchtower, cameras, communications equipment and lighting had limited its monitoring capabilities.
Sources at the United Nations expressed their fear that it was impossible to monitor any violations of international law in the conflict.
On the other hand, the Italian government said that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the biggest supporters of Israel among Western European leaders, spoke by phone with Netanyahu today and denounced the “unacceptable” Israeli attacks.
Italy deploys more than a thousand soldiers within the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force, making it one of the largest military contributors.
France and Spain also condemned the Israeli attacks, and each of them has about 700 soldiers in the formation of this force.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said that the minister Lloyd Austin Through a telephone call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Galant He expressed his “deep concern” about reports that Israeli forces opened fire on the positions of peacekeepers, and urged Israel to ensure their safety and the safety of the Lebanese army, which is not a party to the Israeli conflict with Hezbollah.
For its part, the Swiss Foreign Ministry called on the Israeli army, on Sunday, to immediately stop all its attacks on the UNIFIL force.
The ministry said in a post on the X platform: We call on the Israeli army to immediately stop all attacks on UNIFIL, respect the sanctity of United Nations facilities, and protect international law. She stressed the need to reach an immediate agreement on a ceasefire between all parties.
As for the Turkish Foreign Ministry – in a statement – it said that the regular Israeli attacks on the UNIFIL force are evidence of the Israeli Prime Minister’s approach Benjamin Netanyahu Occupation policy towards Lebanon.
The Turkish statement indicated that UNIFIL forces are mandated by the UN Security Council to contribute to the security of the region.
He stressed the responsibility of the permanent members of the Security Council to obstruct Israeli attacks on the UN mission’s forces.
Since last September 23, Israel has expanded the scope of the genocide it has been committing in Gaza since October 7, 2023, to include most of Lebanon’s regions, including the capital, Beirut, through air raids of unprecedented violence and intensity. It also began a ground incursion into the southern region, striking the breadth of the country. Wall international warnings and UN resolutions.
