Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNIFIL soldiers to be withdrawn from combat areas in Lebanon.

Addressing UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language message: “It is time for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the areas of combat.”

“The IDF has repeatedly asked for this, and has been met with repeated refusals, all aimed at providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists.” 

In English, the Israeli leader said: “Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.” 

The calls come amidst UNIFIL saying that the IDF had hit a number of UNIFIL posts, including the headquarters at Naqoura on Friday. According to a report in Time of Israel, UNIFIL soldiers were lightly injured in the incidents. 

Two Lebanese soldiers were reportedly killed and two or three others injured from IDF strikes shortly after.

Netanyahu said that Guterres’ refusal to evacuate the UNFIL soldiers “makes them hostages of Hezbollah...This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers.”

He added that Israel “regrets the injury” to the peacekeepers and that they were doing whatever they could to prevent that happening. “But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is just get them out of the danger zone,” said the PM, adding that the criticism of European leaders shouldn’t be aimed at Israel, but at Hezbollah, which was using UNFIL as a “human shield”.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that he is concerned about the safety of UNFIL soldiers and Lebanese armed forces (Photo: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Eugene Oliver/U.S. Department of Defense)

Netanyahu’s comments come following a phone-call between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, when the former expressed “deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon, as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers”, according to Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.

Austin “strongly emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces and reinforced the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible,” Ryder said.

In a statement on the phone-call from Gallant’s office, they said that the IDF was investigating the the UNIFIL incident, adding: “Hezbollah operates and fires in the vicinity of UNIFIL positions, using peacekeeping missions as a cover for its terrorist activities”. 

“Minister Gallant emphasised that while facing this significant operational challenge, the IDF will continue to take measures to avoid harm to UNIFIL troops and peacekeeping positions.”

Israel has told United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon soldiers to vacate certain areas ahead of its attacks on Hezbollah terror targets.

On Saturday, Austin “also raised the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken to address it” with Gallant and “reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering, enduring and ironclad commitment to Israel’s security”, and the need to bring back all the 101 hostages still held in Gaza, the Pentagon said.

On Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Hezbollah fired some 320 rockets at the Jewish state. Two rockets were also fired from the Gaza Strip.

According to the Times of Israel, three people were lightly hurt from the force of a rocket that was fired into Western Galilee and 12 people were injured running for cover in shelters.

In northern Gaza, three reservists in the IDF were killed on Thursday. They were named as 37-year-old Major Nathaniel Hershkowitz, 32-year-old Major Zvi Mattiyo Marantz and 32-year-old Major Uri Moshe Bornstein. 

Left to right Master Sgt. (res.) Ori Moshe Borenstein, Maj. (res.) Netanel Hershkovitz and Master Sgt. (res.) Tzvi Matityahu Marantz, who the IDF announced on October 10, 2024, had been killed fighting Hamas in northern Gaza (Photo: Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF has relaunched a ground offensive in the area to stop Hamas regrouping.