The UN peacekeeping mission has accused Israel of deliberately firing at its positions. However, Finland wants to insist that the peacekeepers remain in Lebanon.
Kristina Tolkki,
Hannu Tikkala
15:53•Updated 17:04
The security situation in Lebanon has tightened. It can also be seen as a dispute between Israel and UN peacekeepers.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, Sunday, called on the UN to immediately withdraw its peacekeeping forces from the combat zones in Lebanon. Netanyahu stated that the peacekeepers are at risk of being held hostage by Hezbollah.
The UN peacekeeping operation Unifil, on the other hand, has accused Israel of deliberately shooting at the positions of peacekeepers.
In recent days, there have been reports of five cases in which peacekeepers have been injured in Lebanon when Israel and Hezbollah clashed.
The commander, lieutenant colonel, was reached on the spot Jukka Honkanen estimates that patrolling in South Lebanon has already had to be limited. However, according to Honkanen, it is clear that Israel knows where the peacekeepers are moving.
– When we move outside the stations, we deliver to them [Israelille] timely information about where our vehicles are moving, on which road and how many personnel are there.
Unifil: The shooting was intentional
According to Unifil, in at least some of the cases, Israeli forces have fired at UN targets on purpose. In some cases, it is not known from which side the shooting came. And Israel that Hezbollah are committed to Unifil’s peacekeeping in the buffer zone.
So far, there have been no Finns among the injured.
– Normal operations consist of very long patrols around this operational area. It has been possible to do it to a very limited extent, one could almost say not at all, says Honkanen.
The command center of the UN mission is located in Naqoura, where peacekeepers from many countries work, including Finns. Only a small part of the Finnish peacekeepers operating in the region are stationed in Naqoura.
The relationship between Israel and the UN is difficult
Israel’s attitude towards UN peacekeeping operations has been very tense for a long time, according to the foreign ministry’s head of department Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen.
For example, Israel has declared the UN Secretary-General an undesirable person.
According to Heikkinen, Unifil’s peacekeeping operation in the region has not worked as Israel would have hoped.
– Israel’s view is that this operation has not been able to secure the stability of southern Lebanon, but Hezbollah has been able to operate there and the security of Israel’s own northern part and northern border has been compromised, Heikkinen says.
Heikkinen repeats Lieutenant Colonel Honkonen’s information: Israel knows very well where the peacekeepers are moving.
Despite the escalation of the situation, Finland still wants to hold on to the fact that the peacekeepers will remain in Lebanon. Heikkinen does not sign Israel’s claims that the peacekeeping operation has failed.
– It often happens that external expectations and the mandate given to the operation [toimeksianto] do not completely meet. The operating environment is demanding. For example, Lebanon’s own army has not been able to take on as strong a role as would have been hoped. Hezbollah has been strong and has been able to operate also in the area of southern Lebanon, where it should not operate.
Prime minister Petteri Orpo (collector) and the Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen (council) condemned the shooting of the peacekeepers on Thursday.
16:23: Commander’s name corrected from Honko to Honkase