The US Secretary of Defense expressed concern on Sunday about the Israeli army’s attack on members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged Israel to follow diplomatic channels in the country.
“I spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on [Saturday] and expressed my deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on blue helmets in Lebanon, as well as the death of two Lebanese soldiers,” wrote Lloyd Austin in a message published on the social network X.
In the same message, the US Secretary of Defense said he had stressed the importance of guaranteeing the safety of UNIFIL personnel and the Lebanese armed forces, urging his Israeli counterpart to “move from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic track as soon as possible”.
“I also raised the issue of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken to resolve the issue. I reaffirmed the unwavering, enduring and firm commitment of the United States to Israel’s security,” reads the publication.
I spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Oct. 12 and expressed my deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers. I strongly emphasized the importance of…
– Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) October 12, 2024
Two Indonesian and two Sri Lankan blue helmets were wounded in the attacks, which the Israeli army says were casualties of clashes with the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which Israel says is using UN troops as human shields.
The UNIFIL spokesman warned today that there could soon be a “regional conflict with catastrophic impact” for all the countries involved.
The UN peacekeeping force announced that one of its blue helmets was shot dead at its headquarters in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, bringing to five the number of soldiers wounded in incidents in three days attributed to Israel.
Despite the incidents, UNIFIL has refused to withdraw from southern Lebanon, as requested by the Israeli army.
The peacekeepers are in Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel.
For three weeks, Israel has been carrying out an intense bombing campaign against southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut, which has caused the deaths of most of the more than 2,200 people who have lost their lives in Lebanon since October 2023.
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