The United Nations rejects deployment of peacekeepers to Lebanon
The UN is apparently disregarding Israel's demand to shift parts of its peacekeeping force in Lebanon, as per a declaration from Unifil. According to Unifil, their peacekeepers will keep their posts as stated in a communique. Israel allegedly urged the UN peacekeeping mission on September 30 to withdraw its personnel from certain locations, as Israel planned to conduct "restricted ground maneuvers" in Lebanon. But, as per Unifil's statement, the peacekeepers have remained stationed at all their posts, and the UN flag continues to wave proudly.
The Unifil peacekeeping mission, consisting of over 10,000 soldiers and civilians, has been operational in Lebanon since 1978. The UN Resolution 1701 of 2006 broadened the mandate of the blue helmet troops, tasking them with keeping watch over a truce achieved after a prior war between Israel and Hezbollah, and supporting the Lebanese army in border security.
Recently, the confrontation between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has intensified significantly.
Strained Israel-UN relations
Following several airstrikes on targets linked to the Hezbollah militia, which is aligned with the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, the Israeli military announced the commencement of "restricted ground operations" in southern Lebanon on Tuesday night. On Tuesday evening, Iran retaliated with a major rocket assault on Israel, referring to the attack among other things, as a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by an Israeli airstrike in a southern suburb of Beirut. According to Israeli reports, the vast majority of the around 200 rockets fired from Iran were intercepted.
The relationship between Israel and the UN is under strain. On Wednesday, the Israeli government labeled UN Secretary-General António Guterres an "undesirable person" due to their belief that he hadn't firmly condemned the previous Iranian rocket assault on Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz described Guterres as an "anti-Israeli Secretary-General who supports terrorists, rapists, and murderers."
The UN, disregarding Israel's demand, chooses to uphold the following paragraphs' provisions regarding Unifil's peacekeeping operation in Lebanon. Despite Israel urging Unifil to withdraw its personnel from certain locations, the UN peacekeepers continue to abide by the communique, maintaining their posts and displaying the UN flag.
