UN rejects Israel’s request to evacuate ‘Blue Helmets’ guarding border with Lebanon | international

The United Nations has refused to evacuate monitoring posts blue helmet They are on the separation line between Lebanon and Israel – which has been turned into a battle front between Israeli troops and the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah – as claimed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The Israeli Defense Forces, who have warned the United Nations that they consider the areas of Lebanon closest to their territory as theaters of operations, have requested the evacuation of more than twenty observation posts of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) . According to sources in the international organization, the Israeli army has warned that it cannot guarantee their safety.

Although the message is interpreted as a veiled threat in military circles, the UN has decided to maintain its advanced position, although it has reduced personnel deployed there to a minimum and tightened security measures. These positions are the most insecure, as shown by the death of one of them, Spanish Corporal Francisco Javier Soria, in January 2015. blue helmet

“This remains our first priority,” the UN spokesperson insists.

Its top officials acknowledge that UNIFIL can no longer fulfill its core function: monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. And they believe that after the withdrawal of the Lebanese Armed Forces from the border areas, they have been left without their main ally. But they allege that their presence is necessary to protect the civilian population in the area and support the delivery of humanitarian aid and UNIFIL is currently the only channel of communication between the two claimants.

departure of blue helmet Military sources say that from these monitoring posts the international community will not be able to get information about what is happening on the ground. “And witnessing is always uncomfortable, especially for the attacking force, in this case Israel.” And they add: “Once abandoned, the status quo that marks one of the world’s hottest borders will be very difficult to regain.” In theory, the Israeli operation aims to eliminate Hezbollah’s military infrastructure around the northern border, but the Netanyahu government does not hide its aim to create a buffer zone south of the Litani River, precisely in the area where they operate. Are United Nations soldiers.

support from spain

Spain, which currently has a leading role in UNIFIL, fully supports the UN’s determination. Aroldo Lázaro, a Spanish major general, leads the more than 10,000 military personnel and 800 civilians from 50 countries involved in the UN mission. and a Spanish brigadier general, Guillermo García del Barrio, commanding the Eastern Multinational Brigade, composed of 670 Spaniards. Mostly from the Aragon Brigade.

Of the checkpoints Israel has asked to evacuate, some are in territory under Spanish command and the rest are in the Italian sector of the Blue Line, which serves as the border due to the lack of agreement on territorial boundaries between Lebanon and Israel. Works.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Alberes, said in Congress this Friday that he is in permanent contact with the head of UN peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, whom he recently met in New York, and that he have done that blue helmet It is “indispensable” and its presence is “key to the security and stability of the region”, although the responsibility for achieving the immediate ceasefire that Spain demands rests with the claimants.

In his speech before the UN Security Council last Wednesday, its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that “despite Israel’s request to relocate, UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in place and the UN flag continues to fly ” Guterres expressed his gratitude to the countries that contributed troops to the mission in Lebanon. In an unprecedented decision, Israel has told the Secretary General of the United Nations personalityless And he has been banned from entering the country, accusing him of not condemning Iran’s missile attack on the 1st with sufficient force.

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