EU’s high rep urges Israel to stop attacks on UN secretary general

EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has called on Israel to stop its attacks on UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Borrell made this statement upon his arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

He reminded that decisions regarding the presence of the UN mission in Lebanon are made by the UN Security Council, rather than Guterres. "Stop blaming the UN Secretary-General. The UN Security Council makes decisions whether the UN mission will remain in Lebanon or not," he noted.

Borrell emphasised that all EU member states have urged Israel to cease its attacks on UN peacekeepers. Some 27 EU member states were able to agree on this collective call only "after many hours of discussions on October 13". 

On October 13, Netanyahu urged Guterres to immediately withdraw the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from the combat zone along the Lebanon-Israel border. He claimed that UN peacekeepers, by remaining in their positions, "are becoming hostages" of armed Hezbollah groups, against which Israeli forces are operating.

UNIFIL reported that its headquarters and outposts were shelled by Israeli forces on October 10. According to UNIFIL, two peacekeepers sustained injuries. The Israeli army stated that its troops fired at a target deemed a threat near the UNIFIL position, asserting that the peacekeepers were harmed inadvertently. They emphasised that they had warned UN forces in advance about the impending combat and advised them to "seek shelter in a protected location." 

On September 23, Israel launched Operation "Northern Shield" against Hezbollah formations, conducting extensive airstrikes on the organisation's military sites in Lebanon. On the night of October 1, the Israeli army announced the initiation of a ground operation in border areas in southern Lebanon.

By Naila Huseynova