Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has assured his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, that Hezbollah militias are using the positions of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, as cover in their attacks against Israeli forces and endangering the lives of their troops.
Five UNIFIL members have been injured in recent days in incidents that the UN force has directly attributed to the Israeli military operation. Gallant, in this sense, has assured Austin that all of them are being investigated by Israeli military commissions to determine the exact circumstances of what happened.
In the telephone conversation held late last Saturday, Gallant assured Austin that the Israeli Army “attempts to take measures to prevent UNIFIL troops from suffering harm” although he indicated that their presence in the combat zone “represents a important operational challenge”.
UNIFIL has warned Israel that it will not withdraw from its positions and demanded that the Israeli Army stop endangering its members.
Austin, in response, has expressed his “deep concern” about the attacks on UNIFIL and the recent deaths of two Lebanese Army soldiers attributed to the Israeli operation.
“I have strongly stressed the importance of guaranteeing the security of UNIFIL forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces,” Austin said, before insisting on “the need to move from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic option as soon as possible.” as soon as possible.”
However, and as on other occasions, the US Secretary of Defense has reaffirmed “the unwavering and lasting commitment” of his country “to the security of Israel” amid international calls such as that of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to declare an embargo on arms shipments to Israel for use in Gaza.
