EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Israel to stop attacks on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, since it is not he who makes decisions about the presence of the UN mission in Lebanon, but the UN Security Council. Borrell made a corresponding statement upon arrival at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
"Stop blaming the UN Secretary General. It is not him, but the UN Security Council that decides whether the UN mission will remain in Lebanon," Borrell said.
He stressed that all EU countries have already called on Israel to stop attacking UN peacekeepers. According to him, the 27 EU countries were able to agree on this common call only “after many hours of discussions on Sunday.”
On Sunday, Netanyahu called on Guterres to immediately withdraw peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from the combat zone along the Lebanese-Israeli border. According to his version, UN peacekeepers, remaining in their positions, “become hostages” of the armed units of the Shiite organization Hezbollah, against which the actions of Israeli troops are directed.
He stressed that all EU countries have already called on Israel to stop attacking UN peacekeepers. According to him, the 27 EU countries were able to agree on this common call only “after many hours of discussions on Sunday.”
On Sunday, Netanyahu called on Guterres to immediately withdraw peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from the combat zone along the Lebanese-Israeli border. According to his version, UN peacekeepers, remaining in their positions, “become hostages” of the armed units of the Shiite organization Hezbollah, against which the actions of Israeli troops are directed.
On October 10, UNIFIL reported shelling of its main headquarters and strongholds by the Israeli military. According to UNIFIL, two peacekeepers were injured. The Israeli army, in turn, said that its troops fired at a target that posed a threat to them and was located next to the UNIFIL position, and the peacekeepers were injured by accident. At the same time, the military noted that they warned the UN forces in advance about the upcoming battles and ordered them to “take shelter in a protected room.” On September 23, Israel launched Operation Arrows of the North against Hezbollah formations, during which it carried out massive air strikes on the organization’s military targets on Lebanese territory. On the night of October 1, the Israeli army announced the start of a ground operation in the border areas of southern Lebanon.
