UN peacekeepers will stay in southern Lebanon despite five of their members being injured in Israeli airstrikes in the area.
In a statement to Agence France-Presse on Saturday, Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), confirmed that despite Israel’s request for UNIFIL to withdraw from positions “up to five kilometers from the Blue Line,” the peacekeepers have refused.
“There was a unanimous decision to stay because it is important for the UN flag to continue flying in this region and to be able to report to the Security Council,” Tenenti stated.
In the past two days, five peacekeepers have been targeted by gunfire, with Tenenti warning that the situation is turning into a “regional conflict with catastrophic implications for all.”
Meanwhile, Irish President Michael Higgins, whose country has troops in Lebanon, described Israel’s request for the entire UNIFIL operation under UN mandates to withdraw as “harsh.”
