Published 10/13/2024 16:30
Israeli tanks invaded this Sunday (13) a base of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, according to the United Nations, in yet another attack by the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ) in a few days.
On Thursday (10) and Friday (11), Israel bombed UN troop positions in southern Lebanon, a country it invaded on the 30th, and injured five peacekeepers, actions that generated strong condemnation from the international community.
“Early this morning, peacekeepers at a UN position in Ramyah observed three platoons of IDF soldiers crossing the Blue Line towards Lebanon,” Unifil published on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
“Around 4:30 p.m. [do domingo]while peacekeepers were in shelters, two Israeli army Merkava tanks destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the base [da Unifil]. They asked the base several times to turn off the lights,” he added.
According to Unifil, hours after the invasion, at 6:40 am, the blue helmets reported shots fired 100 meters north of the base. The statement states that the shots emitted smoke.
“Despite wearing protective masks, fifteen peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp. The peacekeepers are receiving treatment,” explained Unifil.
Hours later, Netanyahu again pressed that soldiers from the UN peacekeeping mission must withdraw from combat areas in Lebanon, adding that the presence of troops there makes them hostages of Hezbollah.
“The time has come for you to remove Unifil from Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones,” said Netanyahu in a statement addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres — declared persona non grata in Israel since the beginning of the month for, according to Tel Aviv, not to condemn Iran after the missile launches against the Jewish State on the 1st.
“The Israeli Armed Forces asked [a retirada da Unifil] repeatedly, and have been repeatedly refused, something that has the effect of giving Hezbollah human shields,” Netanyahu said.
Tel Aviv says it targets Hezbollah targets — on Sunday, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, accused the Lebanese armed group of using Unifil bases “as a front for its terrorist activities”, without presenting evidence. Hezbollah denies using UN facilities to launch attacks.
Countries that contribute military personnel to Unifil, mainly from Western Europe, echoed the criticism against Israel. Italy spoke of possible war crimes and said it would not obey orders from Tel Aviv, and France summoned the Israeli ambassador to explain — a diplomatic move that expresses serious dissatisfaction.
On Saturday (12), 40 countries that contribute directly to Unifil, including Brazil, issued a statement condemning the attacks against the peace mission without mentioning Israel. Countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Türkiye, Italy, France and Spain signed the text.
The Itamaraty also said in a statement on Friday (11) that Israel’s attacks are unacceptable and violate international law, calling again for a ceasefire in the Middle East, and Pope Francis asked this Sunday for respect for the blue helmets in the Middle East. Lebanon.
Source: vermelho.org.br
