A new peacekeeper was shot and injured on Saturday October 12 in southern Lebanon, the fifth in two days, without it being known yet who was behind the shooting. Despite requests from Israeli authorities, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on Saturday that it did not intend to leave its positions.
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The peacekeepers of United Nationsdespite the risks that this entails, will not leave their positions at Lebanon. UNIFIL soldiers do not intend to retreat 5 kilometers further north, which is what the Israeli authorities were demanding. “ Israeli forces asked us to leave our positions along the Blue Line. But as I said, it was unanimously decided to stay, because it is important that the United Nations flag continues to fly high in this region », insisted on Saturday Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for UNIFIL, whose approximately 9,500 soldiers are deployed in the south of the country, between the Litani River and the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Even if the working conditions are very complicated – five peacekeepers were injured in 48 hours, according to UNIFIL whose positions had suffered “ a lot of damage » –, the UN force will therefore remain on site, despite the risks of a regional conflagration. “ The current conflict between Hezbollah And Israel is not just a conflict between the two countries. It very quickly transformed into a regional conflict with catastrophic consequences for all. The responsibility therefore lies with everyone. It obviously concerns both parties, but also the international community », continues Andrea Tenenti.
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“ Respect the presence of UNIFIL »
Within the international community, we support this desire to keep UNIFIL on the ground. On Saturday, at least 40 countries gave their support “ complete » to the UN operation and urged to protect the peacekeepers. “ We strongly condemn the latest attacks against peacekeepers. Such actions must stop immediately and be properly investigated. », Wrote 34 contributing countries to UNIFIL, according to a letter posted on the X account of Poland’s mission to the United Nations.
“ We urge all parties to the conflict to respect the presence of UNIFIL, including guaranteeing the security and safety of all its employees, at all times. », Continue these 34 States, to which were added six others: Germany, Colombia, India, Greece, Peru and Uruguay. These signatory countries consider “ UNIFIL’s role as particularly crucial in light of escalating tensions in the Middle East “.
Among the countries authoring this call, we find in particular Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom, but also China, Indonesia, Nepal, Qatar and even Turkey. For Andrea Tenenti, there is no military solution to this conflict. The UNIFIL spokesperson therefore calls for discussions at the political and diplomatic level. In his eyes, there is still time to avoid a catastrophe.
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