Lloyd Austin, the secretary of defense for the United States, has urged Israel to defend UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon.
Austin emphasized the significance of taking all necessary steps to safeguard the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel during a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Thursday.
In order to provide protection for civilians on both sides of the border as quickly as possible, he again emphasized the necessity of pursuing a diplomatic route.At least four soldiers have been wounded in recent days as a result of multiple attacks on the UN peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon.
On Sunday, Israeli tanks also stormed through the main entrance of a UN facility in southern Lebanon.
Israel claimed that the Hezbollah group, which is supported by Iran, was exploiting the vicinity to UNIFIL bases.
Since 1978, the Israeli-Lebanese border area has been under the observation of UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Germany is among the more than 50 nations that have sent over 10,000 troops to the operation.
Austin also reiterated his appeal for Israel to address Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe.
Noting Israel’s recent move to boost the quantity of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, Austin stated, “I urged the Israeli government to keep taking action to address the dire humanitarian situation.”
This request came after the US administration warned Israel on Tuesday that it must drastically improve Gaza’s humanitarian situation within 30 days or risk breaking US military aid regulations.
