The president of Ireland denounced “outrageous threats” against the Irish ‘blue helmets’
Oct. 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) assured this Monday that there have been no threats made by the Israeli Armed Forces against its troops after the Irish president reproached these alleged “threats” against his ‘blue helmets’.
“At the moment they have asked us to leave certain positions,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in statements to Irish public television RTÉ.
“We have not received threats and, again, we remind them of their obligation to protect our bases and facilities, but so far we have not received threats,” he added.
The president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, denounced this Saturday the “outrageous” Israeli threats against the Irish ‘blue helmets’. Higgins denounced that Israel “demands that the entire UNIFIL operation under UN mandate leave.”
“The Irish contingent of 347 members is part of a group of 10,000 UNIFIL soldiers,” he recalled. “It is outrageous that the Israel Defense Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and wanted them to evacuate the villages they were defending,” said the Irish head of state.
In response, the Israeli Embassy in Ireland has criticized Higgins’ “baseless and inflammatory” statements and has argued that the Army asked UNIFIL forces “to leave areas of military activity for their own protection and safety.”
MILITARY ACTIVITY NEXT TO A FINUL POST
Already on Monday, the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah denounced that Israeli forces are using UNIFIL members as “human shields” in the Marun el Ras area and the mission itself warned of its “concern” about the “activities.” recent” Israelis.
“UNIFIL is deeply concerned by the recent activities of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) very close to the mission’s position 6-52, in Marun el Ras, Sector West, within Lebanese territory,” the mission stated. of the UN in a message published on its account on the social network X. UNIFIL highlights that “the IDF has been repeatedly informed of this situation through the usual channels,” the message concludes.
UNIFIL appears to be responding to reports published in Irish media about the presence of around twenty Israeli military pieces – including battle tanks and other armored vehicles – and the installation of a barricaded firing position near the Irish surveillance post. Irish public television RTÉ has reported that it has the images to prove this, but that it will not publish them at the request of the Irish Armed Forces, which allege “operational security reasons.”
The UN sent a message to Israel from New York through diplomatic channels on Friday requesting an end to the use of those positions for attacks after direct communications between Irish and Israeli military forces did not have the desired effect.
On Saturday there were new shots fired from the new Israeli position and in recent days there have been Merkaba tanks active in the area, RTÉ highlights.
Add Comment