Turkey has accused Israel of repeatedly attacking members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as part of its plans to expand its occupation in Lebanon, where at least five peacekeepers have been injured in recent days.
‘The Israeli Government’s repeated attacks on UNIFIL are a clear indication of its policy of occupying Lebanon and its willingness to use military power without hesitation,’ Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a harsh statement issued yesterday.
‘It is incumbent on each member of the UN Security Council to prevent attacks by Israel against the UN forces that they themselves have mandated,’ insisted the ministerial statement, which stressed UNIFIL’s vital role in maintaining security in the region and called for a united and comprehensive response against Israel’s actions “and the countries that provide weapons to it”.
About half a dozen UN peacekeepers have been wounded in recent days in a series of apparently deliberate attacks on UNIFIL positions and bases. UNIFIL has some 10,000 troops from 50 countries – including some 370 Irish and 900 Indian troops – deployed in Lebanon since Israel’s 1978 invasion. The United Nations and its Secretary General Antonio Guterres himself have accused Israeli forces in the area of ‘deliberately’ firing on the peacekeepers.
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to ‘immediately’ evacuate the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, saying they have become ‘hostages of Hezbollah’ and ‘human shields’. ‘The simple and obvious way to ensure (the peacekeepers are not injured) is simply to get them out of harm’s way,’ said in a video message Netanyahu, adding he has encountered “repeated refusals” from UNIFIL to leave its positions in Lebanon.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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