Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appealed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to withdraw the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from Hizballah strongholds and combat zones, stating that a failure to do so is turning them “into hostages of Hizballah.”
Netanyahu’s key point should be obvious to the UN, just as it should be obvious that both Hizballah and Hamas are using civilians as human shields, while too many in the UN and world accuse Israel of so-called genocide.
Below is Netanyahu’s full statement appealing to the UN Secretary -General, and also revealing Israel’s focus on many battlefronts (Courtesy of the Israel Government Press Office):
“We are marking one year of the harsh war that was forced on us – the war of redemption against Iran’s axis of evil, which has risen up to destroy us.
We are more determined than ever to ensure our future; we are more determined than ever to defeat our enemies.
In Lebanon: We eliminated Nasrallah and his senior personnel. Our heroic soldiers are destroying Hezbollah’s weapons, command centers and terrorist tunnels.
They are fighting forcefully to return our residents in the north safely to their homes. We are not fighting the Lebanese people, we are fighting Iran’s terrorist proxy Hezbollah, which has occupied Lebanon.
I would like to appeal directly to the UN Secretary General: The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones.
The IDF has requested this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields. Your refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers has turned them into hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers.
We regret the harm to UNIFIL soldiers and we are doing our utmost to prevent such harm. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure this is simply to withdraw them from the danger zone.
Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.
Unfortunately, several European leaders are applying pressure in the wrong place. Instead of criticizing Israel, they need to direct their criticism at Hezbollah, which is using UNIFIL as a human shield, just as Hamas in Gaza is using UNRWA as a human shields.
In Gaza: We are continuing to operate deep in the territory in order to eliminate Hamas and bring about the release of our hostages. Our brave soldiers are now in the heart of Jabalya where they are dismantling Hamas’s strongholds.
The 101 of our hostages who are in Gaza have always been our chief concern. We will do everything to bring them, all of them, back home, the living and the deceased.
In Judea and Samaria: Our forces are acting without respite on the ground and in the air to thwart terrorism. The terrorism there will not win because we will not allow it to.
In other arenas: We will continue to take action to ensure Israel’s security.
There are moments during the war when one simple rule must be adhered to, and I request that all ministers adhere to this rule: Say little and do much.
With G-d’s help, we will do this and we will succeed.
“Secretary-General rejects Netanyahu’s call to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers to save them from being ‘hostages’ to Hizballah,” by Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post, October 13, 2024:
The peacekeeper force won’t evacuate southern Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutters said Sunday night as he rejected Israel’s call that they leave the area for their own safety.
“Peacekeepers remain in all positions and the UN flag continues to fly” along Lebanon’s border with Israel, Guterres’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, “The Secretary-General reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times,” he said….
Taffy says
Well, Guterres was warned. If the UN “peacekeepers” (actually Hizb’allah enablers) are caught up in the crossfire between Israel and Hizb’allah, their blood will be on the hands of Guterres and not Israel. Right now the UN troops have a safe exit from the area. Guterres Is acting like the people that refused to evacuate Tampa when Milton wa s a day away. But, unlike the recalcitrant residents of Tampa, Guterres is playing with others’ lives.
Rick Gordon says
If the UN respected the prior agreement to keep Hezbollah back the border there would be no issue.
This General Secretary is the most anti-Israel UN leader in my lifetime.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
That’s fine. Israel should bomb Hizbullah positions regardless of whether or not there are UNIFIL personnel there. If any get killed/injured. their blood will be on the hands of Guterres. Once countries start seeing their soldiers getting killed in UN operations, it’ll make them more unlikely to volunteer them for such missions, making the UN even more worthless than it already is
Kosh's Shadow says
Netanyahu should also say that since it is the utter failure of UNIFIL (UN Incompetent F*k-ups In Lebanon) to enforce resolution 1701, that Israel will hold the UN responsible for all the disruptions in Israel due to Hizballah attacks, and expect the UN to pay for them. Including seizing all UN property in Israel,
But that will probably have to wait for Trump to be elected, and back them up by seizing UN HQ and auctioning it off to pay Israel.
Ray Jarman says
There have been numerous occasions where the UN has pulled its peace keeping personnel, especially on the African continent due to their endangerment. The 1993 surrender to the Hutus by the UN and subsequent attempted genocide of the Tutsi population in Rwanda highlights the worthlessness of UN so-called peace keeping troops. Now when they are hampering the effective resolution of the Israelis to rid the world of Hezbollah, the useless UN peacekeeping personnel are attempting to prevent Israel of preserving its existence. Gutieres is literally using the troops as human shields which I find atrocious and not be permitted.
somehistory says
Ray, more and more people are behaving like mozlums….no regard for the lives of others. Choosing sides….good or evil, and evil seems to be getting the most *converts*….or maybe they always were and are just letting it all come out.
Like the two chicken thieves dividing up their loot in the cemetery. “You take this one and I’ll take that one,” Until everyone is either going along with the evil, or they boldly have to fight back in some way.
the head of the U.N. is just as rotten as those who belong to hamas
Ray Jarman says
Somehistory, as you state, “head of the U.N. is just as rotten as those who belong to hamas.” The fact that so many thugs in UNRWA and other UN slime have enabled Hamas to thrive and flourish. The U.N. leader, Guterres, is completely in Iran and its slime like HAMAS’ palms.
somehistory says
Yes, Ray, and any pretense of being otherwise is just a big, evil, lie.
Tony Rice says
As a matter of interest, what did Guterres and /or U N say when Iran via it’s proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon fired so many rockets into Northern Israel so as to force the civilians there to leave their homes, livlihoods, and all aspects of their lives and living.?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Nothing. Since Hizbullah is not a state and therefore not a member of the UN, the latter just treated it like a non-state actor operating against Israel, thereby meriting no action
Tony Rice says
Has the same applied to Hamas?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah. Although since “Palestine” is recognized as a state by the UN, they should have at least asked the Abbas government to stop Hamas attacks on Israel. Of course, they know that in practical terms, they can’t, since Hamas is the primary opposition to Fatah
Keys says
The IDF needs to overtake a UNIFIL position.
My guess is there are Hizbollah fighters in UN uniforms (just like UNWRA employees were exposed as jihadis). Also, there are probably tunnels beneath those UN sites serving as a sanctuary base for Hizbollah operations.
Hoping Israel can expose the truth about UN General António Guterres and his UN. Who knows, maybe Yayah Sinwar is wearing a blue beret?
UN Peacekeepers for the Religion of Peace. /sarc
Tony Rice says
Apparently Sinwar is running around disguised as a woman, emulating Muhammad who reportedly did when receiving the words of Allah , via Gabrielle and Aisha . He is also carrying a bag of explosives and surrounded by a group of hostages.
somehistory says
The IDF was said to have discovered tunnels from Lebanon into Israel a few days ago.
somehistory says
“IDF takes over tunnel under Lebanese village meant for elite Hezbollah forces to use in invasion” (The Times of Israel)
“IDF forces from the 8th Reserve Brigade, operating on the eastern side of southern Lebanon, have taken over an underground complex belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, the IDF says.
The complex, which includes 800 meters of tunnels, is situated under a civilian village, says the army. The tunnels include a bedroom and a fully stocked kitchen
According to IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, the complex was designed for a Radwan battalion to arrive, suit up, then head into Israel on foot and on motorbikes.
IDF forces captured the complex late last week and found anti-helicopter missiles, mortar shells, rifles and other munitions.
One of the operatives was holed up in the bunker, and was killed by the Air Force..”
There is a photo along with the story.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/idf-takes-over-tunnel-under-lebanese-village-meant-for-elite-hezbollah-forces-to-use-in-invasion/ar-AA1sfHzi?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=751cf1c08b114869af89af4e51a76d1f&ei=14
Tony Rice says
Before Hezbollah manage to take any hostages and into the tunnels, IDF should seal them off and pump loads of gas into them and …………………….
somehistory says
They arrested a terrorist they found; so Israel knows the tunnels are being used.
Keys says
Thank you for your comments and links, Tony and somehistory.
It is irresponsible that American TV news networks have not shown much of the tunnel videos that the IDF provided. Maybe it will be on this evening’s news.
The IDF must suspect that the high ground UN observation towers are likely sources of intelligence for Hezbollah.
somehistory says
thank you, Keys. Right after I posted that link, I saw another story with video where Israel was demonstrating the tunnel network for other nations to see what hezbolla has done.
As if the others have no clue….I’m guessing that the un ghoul knows all too well.
I have no doubt that you are right about the tower use. Pure evil is at work and it seems Israel is the only one fighting it.
STJOHNOFGRAFTON says
Guterres’ action proves that the UN is rotten from the top down.