Israel calls for removal of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to remove UN peacekeeping forces from southern Lebanon immediately. 

"Mr Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately," Netanyahu said in a video shared by his office on Sunday.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israeli forces had asked UNIFIL several times to leave but it had "met with repeated refusals."

At least five UN peacekeepers have been injured amid ongoing clashes between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah. Pope Francis has also called for respect towards UN peacekeepers after these injuries, expressing concern for all parties involved in the conflict.

"I am close to all the people involved, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, where I ask that the UN peacekeepers be respected," the Pope said at the Vatican, according to AFP.

Netanyahu emphasized that European leaders should criticize Hezbollah for using UNIFIL as a "human shield." He stated that the best way to protect peacekeepers is to remove them from danger.

"We regret the injuring of UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this injuring," Netanyahu said. "But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone."

Currently, UNIFIL has over 10,000 troops from 50 countries, tasked with maintaining peace along the border between Israel and Lebanon. Peacekeepers are tasked with maintaining calm and reducing tensions along the "blue line" dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Malta has a small contingent of soldiers stationed with an Irish battalion as part of the UN peacekeeping mission.

In response to the recent violence, 40 countries contributing to UNIFIL condemned Israel's attacks on the peacekeeping mission and called for an investigation. 

Countries like Spain, France, and Italy have labelled these attacks as "unjustifiable." U.S. President Joe Biden has also urged Israel to stop targeting UN peacekeepers.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese authorities. In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry has said 42,227 people have been killed and 98,464 injured during the year-long conflict.