UN says Israeli tanks burst through gates of peacekeeper base

NEW YORK: The United Nations said on Sunday Israeli tanks had burst through the gates of a base of its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, the latest accusation of violations and attacks that have been denounced by Israel’s own allies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the United Nations to evacuate the troops of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon. Hours later, the force reported what it described as additional Israeli violations, including tanks forcibly entering through the gates of a base.

“The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones,“ Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

“The IDF has requested this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields.”

Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah denies Israel’s accusation that it uses the proximity of peacekeepers for protection.

Five peacekeepers have so far been wounded in a series of strikes that have hit peacekeeping positions and personnel in recent days, most of the attacks blamed by UNIFIL on Israeli forces.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, typically one of Israel’s most vocal supporters among Western European leaders, spoke to Netanyahu by phone on Sunday and denounced the Israeli attacks.

Italy has more than a thousand troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force, making it one of the biggest contributors of personnel. France and Spain, which each have nearly 700 soldiers in the force, have also condemned the Israeli attacks.

“Prime Minister Meloni reiterated the unacceptability of UNIFIL being attacked by Israeli armed forces,“ the Italian government said in a statement.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Sunday that the country has banned U.N. chief Guterres from entering, due to what it says is his failure to adequately condemn Iran for a missile attack at the start of this month, and for what Katz described as antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct.

UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor southern Lebanon. Since then, the area has seen persistent conflict, with Israel invading in 1982, occupying southern Lebanon until 2000 and again fighting a major five-week war against Hezbollah in 2006.

Israel’s assault against Hezbollah over the past three weeks has been the deadliest in Lebanon in decades, driving 1.2 million Lebanese from their homes and has inflicting an unprecedented blow against the group by killing most of its senior leadership.

Israeli officials say UNIFIL has failed in its mission of upholding U.N. Resolution 1701, passed after the 2006 war, which calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defence Minister Gallant on Saturday, expressed “deep concern” about reports that Israeli forces had fired on peacekeeper positions and urged Israel to ensure their safety and that of the Lebanese military, the Pentagon said. The Lebanese military is not party to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.

SECURITY IN JEOPARDY

The Israeli military asked the U.N. peacekeepers nearly two weeks ago to prepare to relocate more than 5 km (3 miles) from the border “in order to maintain your safety,“ according to an excerpt from the message, seen by Reuters.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday that “the safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy”. They remained in position but operational activities had virtually come to a halt since Sept. 23 and peacekeepers were confined to base. Three hundred had been temporarily relocated to bigger bases.

Attacks on a watchtower, cameras, communications equipment and lighting had limited UNIFIL’s monitoring abilities, a UNIFIL spokesperson said on Thursday. U.N. sources said they feared Israeli attacks would make it impossible to monitor violations of international law.

Lebanon’s government says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting, mainly during the escalation of the past few weeks. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but includes scores of women and children.

HIGH ALERT

The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation in a year of war sparked by Iran-backed Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In particular, the region is bracing for Israel to retaliate against Iran for an Oct. 1 volley of long range missiles, launched in response to Israel’s assaults on Lebanon.

Iran said on Sunday that it has “no red lines” in defending itself. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments appeared intended to counter suggestions that Iran would absorb an Israeli strike without a further response, as Tehran did earlier this year when Israel last struck Iran after a volley of Iranian missiles.

U.S. officials believe Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential retaliation for the Iranian missile barrage, and would aim to hit military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on Saturday. It said there was no indication Israel would target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations in Iran.

The NBC report suggested an Israeli attack was imminent, citing U.S. and Israeli officials as saying it could come during the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday. That holiday ended on Saturday evening without an Israeli strike, however.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, in a press conference in Baghdad with Araqchi, said the outbreak of an all-out war could disrupt shipping lanes in the region, threaten energy exports and create a major energy crisis.

“We call on all influential and concerned countries to work to stop the war and start a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon,“ said Hussein.