The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu demanded on Sunday that the UN chief relocate peacekeepers stationed in south Lebanon from "harm's way" as Hezbollah was using them as "human shields." 

He called UN chief Antonio Guterres the day after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) refused to leave the border area. This decision came after five of its members were injured in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. "Mr Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately," said Netanyahu in a video statement issued by his office.

Netanyahu claimed that the presence of UNIFIL had "the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields" and that Israeli forces had repeatedly requested that the peacekeepers withdraw before a cabinet meeting. "Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers," said the premier.

"We regret the harm to UNIFIL soldiers and we are doing our utmost to prevent such harm. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure this is simply to withdraw them from the danger zone." UNIFIL has refused to withdraw from its southern Lebanon positions. In an interview with AFP on Saturday, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti stated, "There was a unanimous decision to stay because it's important for the UN flag to still fly high in this region, and to be able to report to the Security Council".

He said that although the peacekeepers had been ordered by Israel to leave positions "up to five kilometres (three miles) from the Blue Line" dividing the two countries, UNIFIL had refused. After Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, a mission consisting of roughly 9,500 troops of different nationalities was established, known as UNIFIL. Currently, it is in charge of overseeing a ceasefire that put an end to the 33-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

UNIFIL contributor countries "strongly condemn recent attacks" on the peacekeepers, the organisation said on Saturday. "Such actions must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated," the joint statement, which was signed by countries including major contributors Indonesia, Italy, and India, was posted on X by the Polish UN mission. UNIFIL announced on Sunday that it had asked the Israeli army to provide an explanation for what it described as "shocking violations" against their force, including forcing entry into one of their positions. According to UNIFIL, Israeli tanks "destroyed" and "forcibly entered" a UNIFIL position earlier on Sunday morning.

However, the Israeli military claimed that during an incident in which several soldiers were hurt, a tank had struck a UN peacekeeping post after coming under fire.

The Israeli military reported late Sunday that Hezbollah compounds "embedded near UNIFIL posts" in southern Lebanon had fired roughly 25 rockets and missiles at Israel in the previous month. The incident's date was not specified, but it claimed that one of the attacks even killed two Israeli soldiers. Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon denounced the Israeli demand that UNIFIL withdraw from the south. 

"The warning that Netanyahu addressed to... Guterres demanding the removal of the UNIFIL represents a new chapter in the enemy's approach of not complying with international" norms, Mikati said. Earlier, Netanyahu said the criticism of Israel was misplaced and should be directed at Hezbollah. "Instead of criticising Israel, they should direct their criticism to Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as a human shield," he said.