Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, has stated that Israel has no intention of harming the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the peacekeeping forces stationed in southern Lebanon. Katz emphasized the importance of UNIFIL's activities and expressed Israel's commitment to not causing harm to the organization or its personnel.
The United Nations has reported incidents where the Israeli military allegedly fired on UN peacekeepers, forcibly entered a base, disrupted logistical movements, and caused injuries to more than a dozen troops in southern Lebanon in recent weeks. The European Union's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, condemned these actions as 'completely unacceptable.'
Katz, in response to the accusations, claimed that Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon, is using UNIFIL personnel as human shields. He alleged that Hezbollah members are deliberately firing at Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers from locations near UNIFIL positions to provoke conflict.
Despite these tensions, Israel has reiterated its commitment to avoiding harm to UNIFIL and stated that it will continue to coordinate with UNIFIL commanders while adhering to international law. Katz emphasized that Israel will make every effort to prevent any harm to UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon.
