UN peacekeepers to stay put in southern Lebanon
UN peacekeepers plan to stay where they are in southern Lebanon despite Israel’s calls for them to relocate, according to peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
The peacekeepers, working under the mandate of the UN Security Council, are comprised of 10,000 troops and 800 civilian staff from 50 countries.
Israel’s military asked them to move more than 5km (three miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border, known as the Blue Line. But Lacroix said the forces are “currently staying in their position, all of them”.
He said it was important they stay put because they serve as the only line of communication between Israel and Lebanon during hostilities. “The parties have an obligation to respect the safety of and security of peacekeepers, and I want to insist on that,” Lacroix said.
UN peacekeepers near Khiam in southern Lebanon, August 23
US says it is ‘appropriate’ for Israel to continue attacks in Lebanon
The White House feels it is “appropriate” for Israel to keep attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon, even though it risks intensifying an “unpredictable” conflict, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Speaking at a news briefing, Miller said that while the US ultimately wants to see a ceasefire, Israel is right to keep targeting Hezbollah “at this point”. Miller said it was unclear how long Israel’s operation in Lebanon go on and that he “doesn’t know what’s going to happen”.
“I dare say the Israelis probably don’t know what’s going to happen at this point,” Miller said. “It’s not to say that they don’t have a plan. It’s not to say that they don’t have objectives. It’s to say that conflicts are unpredictable.”
Lebanon’s Health Ministry updates death toll from Israeli attacks
The ministry says that at least 37 people were killed and 151 wounded by Israeli attacks on Lebanon in the last 24 hours.
