The prime minister of Israel claimed that he had “repeatedly” requested their removal and had been “met with repeated refusals.”
The UN reported that early on Sunday morning, Israeli tanks broke through the gates of one of its bases and demanded that the lights be turned out.
“Putting peacekeepers in danger” was another statement the UN made regarding the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) presence in regions where it was mandated to fight.
It stated that it was a “flagrant violation of international law” to breach and enter a UN position.
However, Israel defended the incident by claiming that one of their tanks “backed several meters into a UNIFIL post” while attempting to evacuate wounded soldiers “while still under fire.”
In a Telegram statement, the IDF claimed that “enemy fire stopped, and following the evacuation of the injured soldiers” before the tank left the location.
According to the IDF, UNIFIL forces were not in danger during the event, and its soldiers employed a “smoke screen” to offer cover for the evacuation of the wounded soldiers.
Since Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has 10,000 soldiers, has been stationed there.
Maintaining peace and lowering tensions along the “blue line” that separates Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories from Lebanon is the responsibility of UNIFIL peacekeepers.
