France's armed forces minister has stressed that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL) will remain in place as Israel expands its targets across the country in a bid to neutralise the Iran-backed militant group, Hezbollah.
Speaking on Monday, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that UNIFL forces "are destined to stay" in Lebanon, despite being allegedly targeted by Israeli forces who have launched incursions into Lebanese territory.
"The day the guns fall silent, there will always be a Blue Line [separating Lebanon from Israel], there will be Resolution 1701 or a new resolution, there will always be a zone that has to be neutralised," he explained on France 5 television.
"That's why the mission is here to stay. It was the United Nations that deployed these forces, and it is up to the United Nations to withdraw them ... unless the various contributing nations agree otherwise," he added.
His statement comes as European countries contributing to UNIFIL – France, Italy, Spain and Ireland – are due to meet by videoconference on Wednesday to agree on their positions.
Lecornu's comments echoed those of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who said that "there will be no withdrawal of UNIFIL".
Peacekeepers under fire
With tensions between Israel and the UN mission mounting – and at least five peacekeepers injured by the Israeli army – Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to put the peacekeepers "under immediate cover".
The UN Security Council has expressed strong concern over peacekeeping positions coming under fire amid clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
However, the UNIFIL force's spokesman posted on X that the peacekeeping mission would stay.
"We are staying ... we are in south of Lebanon under a Security Council mandate. So it’s important to keep an international presence and to keep the UN flag in the area," Andrea Tenenti said.
Israeli soldiers killed
Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israeli troops had deliberately harmed UNIFIL peacekeepers as "completely false" and repeated a call for them to withdraw from combat zones close to the border with Israel.
He maintains Hezbollah uses UNIFIL positions as cover for attacks that have killed Israelis, including on Sunday, when a drone attack on a military base killed four soldiers.
"Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah and will continue to do so," Netanyahu said in a statement.
He said he regretted any harm to UNIFIL personnel but added that the best way to ensure their safety was "to heed Israel's request and to temporarily get out of harm's way".
'No mercy'
This comes as Israel expanded its targets in its war against Hezbollah, killing at least 21 people in an airstrike in the north of the country on Monday.
A missile strike in the Christian-majority northern town of Aitou hit a house that had been rented to displaced families.
Until now the main focus of Israel's military operations in Lebanon has been in the Bekaa Valley in the east, the suburbs of Beirut, and in the south.
During a visit to the military base where the four Israeli soldiers were killed, Netanyahu said Israel would continue to attack the Iran-backed movement "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut".
(With newswires)
