Head of U.N's Lebanon peacekeeping force vows blue helmets will stay put

Oct. 15 (UPI) -- The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers in the south of the country were not going anywhere despite Israel Defense Forces firing on their positions and repeated demands they withdraw to the north.

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told a news briefing in New York on Monday that following Security Council consultations "the decision was made that UNIFIL would currently stay in all its positions, in spite of the calls that were made by the IDF to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line."

Lacroix hit back at warnings from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the blue helmets to leave bases in southern Lebanon that he alleged were acting as human shields for Hezbollah and failing to enforce the so-called Blue Line.

He said it was not part of UNIFIL's mandate to either implement or enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 -- only to aid in its implementation and support the civilian population and that the peacekeeping force could only do that by staying in place.

"I want to emphasize that this decision [to stay put on bases] still remains," he said. "It's for the parties to implement resolution 1701. UNIFIL are not mandated to implement, and certainly not to enforce, resolution 1701."

However, Lacroix stressed that the two sides were still talking and that he was due to meet Tuesday with Israeli U.N. permanent representative Danny Danon for further discussions.

Lacroix also underscored the importance of securing specific routes for UNIFIL's operational needs.

"The movements that need to be carried out by UNIFIL with the purpose of resupplying positions, with the purpose of supporting the civilian population, those movements need to be deconflicted, and they need to be also cleared by the parties, including the IDF," said Lacroix.

"Our main call to all the parties is to respect their international obligation when it comes to protecting the safety and security of peacekeepers."

It was the agency's fifth rebuke to Israel since Thursday.

On Sunday it warned against what it called "further flagrant violations of international law," most recently on Sunday after peacekeepers were treated for smoke injuries sustained inside their base at Ramyah in the early morning hours.

Three IDF platoons breached the main gate with tanks and forcibly entered demanding that the peacekeepers leave and let them get on with their campaign to remove the threat from Hezbollah, according to UNIFIL.

"Breaching and entering a U.N. position is a further flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)," it said in a social media post .

"Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701. UNIFIL's mandate provides for its freedom of movement in its area of operations, and any restriction on this is a violation of Resolution 1701."

Two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were injured Thursday morning after an IDF tank fired and hit a watch tower at UNIFIL's Naqoura headquarters causing them to fall in a repeat of a similar incident the previous day in which two other peacekeepers were hurt.

A fifth peacekeeper at the base was wounded by gunfire Friday night although the origin of the gunfire has not been established. The soldier underwent surgery and is in a stable condition.

On Tuesday, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy added their voices to that of U.S. President Joe Biden in demanding the attacks on UNIFIL had to end.

"These attacks must stop immediately. We condemn all threats to UNIFIL's security," the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement .

"Any deliberate attack against UNIFIL goes against international humanitarian law and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. The protection of peacekeepers is incumbent upon all parties to a conflict," reads the communique.

"We call on Israel and all parties to uphold their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel at all times and to allow UNIFIL to continue carrying out its mandate. We reaffirm the essential stabilizing role played by UNIFIL in southern Lebanon."

On Saturday, Biden said he "absolutely, positively" wanted Israel to stop firing at U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.