The United Nations Security Council called for a “durable” end to the year-long IDF-Hezbollah war, as Netanyahu insisted that Israel would continue to strike the Iranian proxy group everywhere it was situated in Lebanon.
The UNSC “emphasized the need for diplomatic endeavors that would bring a durable end to the conflict and allow civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return safely to their homes,” Swiss Ambassador to the UN Pascale Baeriswyl told reporters in New York on Monday night.
She read out the joint statement the 15-member body issued after a day of consultations in Lebanon.
The United States, which has typically blocked such measures, backed the statement. The carefully worded statement did not mention either Israel or Hezbollah, but rather referred to “the parties.”
UNSC members expressed their “deep concern for civilian casualties and suffering the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the rising number of internally displaced people.,” Baeriswyl said.“They called on all parties to abide by international humanitarian law,” she added.
Members of the council she said, also called for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which set the ceasefire terms that ended the Second Lebanon War. The UNSC “recognized the need for further practical measures to achieve that outcome,” she explained.
In addition, the UNSC spoke out against the IDF strikes on peacekeeping troops on the Lebanese side of the border, known as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
“The members of the Security Council expressed their strong concerns after several unified positions came under fire in the past days, and several peacekeepers have been wounded.
“They urged all parties to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and UN premises. They recalled that UN peacekeepers and UN premises must never be the target of an attack. They reiterated their support to UNIFIL, underscoring its role in supporting regional stability,” Baeriswyl said.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu said, “We will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut. Everything is according to operational considerations.
“We have proven this recently and we will continue to prove it in the coming days as well,” he stated prior to holding security consultations later that night in the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.
For the second day in a row, he also called on the United Nations to remove the peacekeepers from the border during the IDF operation to remove Hezbollah from that area.
UNSC Resolution 1701
UNSC Resolution 1701 mandates that no non-state armed forces may operate in that border area, such as Hezbollah.
“Israel is not fighting UNIFIL. It’s not fighting the people of Lebanon. It is fighting Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, which uses Lebanese territory to attack Israel,” Netanyahu stated.
“Hezbollah uses UNIFIL facilities and positions as cover while it attacks Israeli cities and communities. These attacks have claimed the lives of many Israelis, including yesterday,” Netanyahu said as he referred to the Hezbollah drone that attacked an airbase in Israel, wounding 63 people and killing four.
“Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah and will continue to do so,” Netanyahu stated.
“We regret any harm done to UNIFIL personnel and the IDF is doing its utmost to prevent such incidents,” he stressed.
“But the best way to assure the safety of UNIFIL personnel is for UNIFIL to heed Israel’s request and to temporarily get out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said.
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