Netanyahu Slams UN for Not Evacuating UNIFIL, Labeling Them ‘Hostages of Hezbollah’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the United Nations to withdraw its UNIFIL peacekeepers from southern Lebanon, warning that their presence near Hezbollah-controlled areas is putting them in danger. In a video message directed at UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu stated, “Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah.”

This appeal follows an incident on Thursday in which Israeli tank fire struck a UNIFIL observation tower in Naqoura, injuring two Indonesian peacekeepers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged operating in the area, noting the presence of Hezbollah near UN positions. Netanyahu stressed that while Israel’s military is targeting Hezbollah, it is not fighting the Lebanese people but rather the Iran-backed terror group that has “conquered” Lebanon.

“Our heroic soldiers are destroying Hezbollah’s weapons, headquarters, and terror tunnels,” Netanyahu said. He urged the UN to remove UNIFIL from areas where Hezbollah operates, accusing the terror group of using peacekeepers as human shields. “This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” he added, emphasizing the need for immediate action to pull UNIFIL out of harm’s way.

UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, was established in 1978 to oversee Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and to maintain peace along the "Blue Line" separating the two countries. The peacekeeping force currently includes 10,500 monitors from 50 countries, stationed along a 120-kilometer border from Rosh HaNikra on the Mediterranean coast to Mount Dov.

Netanyahu’s call comes as Hezbollah escalates its attacks on northern Israeli communities following the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel. Since then, Hezbollah has launched daily rocket and drone strikes at Israel, displacing more than 68,000 northern Israeli residents.

Israeli officials have criticized UNIFIL for its inability to curb Hezbollah’s activity in southern Lebanon, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which forbids Hezbollah from operating south of the Litani River. The terror group has embedded its military infrastructure within civilian areas, with weapons stored in homes, tunnels, and launchpads for firing rockets at Israel.

“Hezbollah stores their weapons everywhere, both between villages and within the villages themselves,” said Sarit Zahavi, president of the Alma Research Center, explaining that many of the homes in southern Lebanon’s Shi’ite villages are used for military purposes.

As Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah intensifies, Netanyahu’s call for the withdrawal of UNIFIL peacekeepers underscores the complex and dangerous dynamics in southern Lebanon, where peacekeeping forces face the constant threat of being caught in the crossfire.

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