Netanyahu asks the UN for the immediate withdrawal of peacekeepers from Lebanon

2024-10-13 15:10:49, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to immediately withdraw peacekeepers from Hezbollah strongholds as fighting with the militants intensifies. Mr. Netanyahu's statement comes after two incidents within 48 hours that resulted in the wounding of several peacekeepers by Israeli attacks. The Israeli military, meanwhile, released a video on Sunday showing a Hezbollah tunnel stocked with weapons and supplies for a long period of time.

According to the Israeli army spokesman, in southern Lebanon "an underground complex was discovered at a depth of about 7 meters and a space of about 50 meters, where a Hezbollah terrorist was sheltered together with weapons and equipment for a long-term stay.

The Hezbollah organization has an extensive network of tunnels in southern Lebanon, which were added after the 2006 war. Israel estimates that the tunnels stretch for several hundred kilometers.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN on Sunday to evacuate peacekeepers from fighting areas in Lebanon.

"We are not fighting the Lebanese people. We are fighting the branch of Iranian terror, Hezbollah, which has taken over Lebanon. I want to address the UN Secretary-General directly: It is time to remove peacekeepers from Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones. The Israeli army has repeatedly requested such a thing and has been repeatedly refused, while thus providing the Hezbollah terrorists with a human protective barrier. Your refusal to evacuate the peacekeepers makes them hostages in the hands of Hezbollah. This endangers them and our soldiers ," said Prime Minister Netanyahu .

The Israeli military confirmed that two UN peacekeepers were wounded by an Israeli attack near their watchtower in southern Lebanon on Friday, as explosions rocked the main peacekeeping base in the area for the second time in 48 hours, while Israeli forces were fighting with Hezbollah militants.

The Israeli military said the peacekeepers had been warned several hours earlier to enter the shelters. The United Nations said the two wounded peacekeepers are from Sri Lanka.

In the Lebanese capital Beirut, the once bustling streets are now generally quiet during the weekend.

"Before I came here, I prayed ten times... We continue to go out, but we are afraid that something might happen... However, the situation is not in our hands. It's certainly scary, but none of us has anything in hand ," says Lia Azzam, a 20-year-old resident of Beirut.

Even her friend, Zeina Bourji, says that they need a "change of atmosphere" after the fear they experience of what could happen to them at home.

Although people continue to go to restaurants in areas thought to be safe, employees say the number of customers has dropped significantly.

"The road is almost completely closed. Some restaurants try to stay open, for only half the day, just so they don't close. No customers come" , says Bassami, an employee in a bar-restaurant.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified in recent weeks, as Israel has carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley. Most of the leaders of Hezbollah have already been killed by the attacks and the Israeli army units have entered to fight inside the Lebanese territory./ VOA