The UNIFIL peacekeeping mission, in which a thousand Italian soldiers are also participating, including the Dimonios of the Sassari Brigade , must stop "acting as a shield" for Hezbollah and "withdraw".
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said this, accusing the UN contingent deployed in southern Lebanon of being a "useless" force that failed to protect Israelis from militant attacks.
"These forces have contributed in no way to maintaining stability and security in the region , they have not ensured the implementation of UN resolutions and they act as a protection for Hezbollah," Cohen said, before addressing UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres directly: "The time has come for you to respond to the request that has been made to you, to withdraw UNIFIL from the conflict zones and stop playing Hamas' game."
The statements come at a time of heightened tension in the area , with the mission's bases repeatedly targeted by the Jewish state , despite repeated international appeals and official positions taken by the governments of the states involved in the mission, including Italy .
(Online Union)