Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Monday that the portrayal of the UN is ‘shameful and concerning’ regarding attacks against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), according to AFP, as reported by Agerpres..
‘The image of the UN, which cannot protect its own personnel, is shameful and concerning on behalf of the international system.Honestly, we wonder what the Security Council is waiting for to stop Israel,’ the Turkish leader said during a televised speech following a cabinet meeting.
‘Can you imagine?Israeli tanks enter the UNIFIL area, attack peacekeeping soldiers, even injuring some of them, while the UN Security Council merely observes this banditry from the sidelines.This is what is called impotence,’ added the Turkish president.
At least five members of the ‘blue helmets’ have been injured in recent days amid clashes between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.These attacks have been strongly condemned by the UN, which mentioned potential ‘war crimes.’.
The blue helmets, which consist of around 9,500 military personnel from 50 countries, are in Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force was established in 1978 and expanded in 2006 following the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.Contributing nations include France, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Spain, and Ghana.