By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Monday expressed strong concern after several U.N. peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon came under fire amid clashes between the Israeli military and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
In a statement adopted by consensus, the 15-member council also urged all parties - without naming them - to respect the safety and security of the personnel and premises of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL.
"U.N. peacekeepers and U.N. premises must never be the target of an attack," said the council, reiterating its support for UNIFIL and the operation's importance for regional stability.
The Security Council also called for the full implementation of its resolution 1701, which was adopted in 2006 with the aim of keeping peace on the border between Lebanon and Israel. The council "recognized the need for further practical measures to achieve that outcome," but did not offer specifics.
Since the start of Israeli ground operation in Lebanon on Oct. 1, UNIFIL positions have been affected 20 times, including by direct fire and an incident on Sunday when two Israeli tanks burst through the gates of a UNIFIL base, the U.N. said.
"Five peacekeepers have been injured during these incidents, including one peacekeeper who sustained a bullet wound," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Monday. "The source of that gunfire has yet to be confirmed by UNIFIL."
For the past two weeks Israel has been telling U.N. peacekeepers to move 5 km (3 miles) back from the so-called Blue Line - a U.N.-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - for their own safety.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday in a statement addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: "The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL."
U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Monday that U.N. troops would not move. After briefing the Security Council behind closed doors, he told reporters that he would meet with Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon on Tuesday.
Lacroix added that the U.N. is "reviewing constantly the situation, and we have contingency planning for all scenarios."
UNIFIL MANDATED 'TO ASSIST'
Deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood told reporters ahead of the council meeting that it was important that UNIFIL be able to do its job.
The Security Council authorized UNIFIL - under resolution 1701 - "to assist" Lebanese forces in ensuring southern Lebanon is "free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon."
"We have to stand against ... every suggestion that if resolution 1701 was not implemented it's because UNIFIL did not implement, which was never its mandate," said Lacroix, stressing that UNIFIL had a supporting role.
Danon said last week that the Lebanese army and UNIFIL had failed to gain control of the area.
He argued that Israel was now acting to enforce resolution 1701, telling the Security Council: "Our soldiers are now in the field, along the border in Lebanon, exposing and dismantling Hezbollah's infrastructure."
The United States and France have said that strengthening Lebanon's army would be crucial to implementing resolution 1701.
"UNIFIL cannot prevent the hostilities," Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Monday. "UNIFIL is being jeopardized and endangered and one country openly threatens its personnel, which is unacceptable."
UNIFIL is also authorized under resolution 1701 "to assist" – if requested by the Lebanese government – in preventing the illicit transport of weapons into the country. The resolution 1701 also bans parties from crossing the Blue Line by ground or air. U.N. officials have long reported violations by both sides.
Danon told the Security Council last week that it "must ensure the right mechanisms are in place for the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to meet their obligations."
When asked what that might look like, Danon told Reuters on Monday that he wanted to see "a more robust mandate for UNIFIL to deter Hezbollah."
Any changes to UNIFIL's mandate would have to be authorized by the Security Council. Diplomats said there are no such discussions at the moment. The mission is currently authorized until Aug. 31, 2025.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Don Durfee and Stephen Coates)
