United Nations peacekeepers have decided to maintain their positions in Lebanon as calls for their withdrawal intensify amid Israel’s defensive war against Hezbollah.

“The decision was made that UNIFIL would currently stay in all its positions in spite of the calls that were made by the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line,” UNIFIL chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix announced on Monday.

The situation has drawn international attention, with Italy, Britain, France, and Germany issuing a joint statement on Monday condemning alleged Israeli attacks on peacekeepers and emphasizing UNIFIL’s “essential stabilizing role” in the region.

Established after the 2006 Lebanon War, UNIFIL is tasked with maintaining a buffer zone between Hezbollah and the IDF. However, critics argue that UNIFIL is failing to fulfill its mandate. Since October 7, 2023, over 12,000 rockets have been fired across the border, with a recent strike killing four Israelis and wounding 70 others.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon contends that Hezbollah is exploiting the UN’s presence along the border by using them as human shields.

“Hezbollah terrorists are using UNIFIL outposts as hiding places and as places of ambushes. The UN’s insistence on keeping the UNIFIL soldiers in the line of fire is incomprehensible,” said Danon.

“For 18 years, UNIFIL personnel ignored the Hezbollah bases along the border and did not report any UN Resolution 1701 violations, which states that only the Lebanese army is allowed to operate in the area.”

Despite Israel’s best efforts to take out Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles, the Iran-backed terror group still has enough firepower to rain hell on the Jewish state.

According to the IDF, Hezbollah is sitting on a massive arsenal of around 50,000 short-range mortars that can pummel Israeli border towns. They possess about 25,000 mid-range rockets, including Soviet-designed Grads, capable of reaching major population centers 30 to 80 kilometers inside Israel.

Most concerning to Israel’s security is the estimated 2,000 long-range rockets in Hezbollah’s hands that can strike targets up to 200 kilometers away, putting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in their crosshairs.

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