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STORY: NETANYAHU: “Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way, it should be done right now, immediately.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the United Nations to pull its peacekeeping forces - a mission called UNIFIL - back from combat areas in Lebanon.

:: File

The UN peacekeeping mission is facing new pressure...

:: Israeli army

as Israeli forces ramp up air and ground operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters who have fired rockets and artillery into northern Israel for more than a year.

:: File

Israel has claimed Hezbollah fighters operated close to UNIFIL bases, using the peacekeeping force as human shields.

Hezbollah has denied those accusations.

The UN has accused Israel of harassing and threatening their forces in recent days, and on Sunday, the world body claimed Israeli tanks had burst through the gates of a UNIFIL base.

Netanyahu apologized for the harm done to UNIFIL, and said the safest thing for the peacekeeping force was to withdraw.

But the potential harm to the international mission has prompted criticism of Israel from some of its allies.

:: October 11, 2024

At an EU summit last week, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said two bases housing Italian soldiers serving with UNIFIL were hit by Israeli fire.

Italy has more than a thousand troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force, making it one of the biggest contributors of personnel.

Her government said Meloni spoke to Netanyahu on Sunday, denouncing what she called the "unacceptable" Israeli attacks.

She was not the only one in Rome to speak up for UNIFIL.

Pope Francis in his Sunday address asked that the peacekeeping force of the United Nations be respected.

:: Israel Defense Ministry

Israeli forces are trying to push Hezbollah back from the border. In a video released on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant toured villages the army said it had captures, and he vowed Hezbollah would not be allowed to return.

:: Israeli army

Video released by the Israeli army purported to show a captured Hezbollah fighter who had been hiding in an underground tunnel.

Israel's operation in Lebanon has exacted a heavy toll.

This was the scene of destruction in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh following an Israeli strike on Saturday.

The operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to Lebanon's government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting.

Meanwhile in Haifa, in northern Israel, air raid sirens early Sunday morning sent residents scurrying toward bomb shelters.

Israel's rocket interception system left streaks across the night sky.