NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Tuesday called on Israel to halt what it described as increasingly frequent attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, pointing out that such incidents constitute serious violations of a UN Security Council resolution.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon reported two attacks in the past 24 hours against personnel clearly identifiable as UN staff: wearing blue helmets and blue jackets marked with the UN logo.
They said such incidents were becoming “disturbingly common” and violated Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The UN said two suspected flare mortars struck one of its positions near the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon late on Monday. The peacekeepers requested a halt to activity by the Israeli army.
Earlier, UNIFIL observed two Merkava tanks moving deeper into Lebanese territory from an Israeli military position near Sarda. The peacekeepers requested, through established liaison mechanisms, that the tanks halt their advance. Later, one of the tanks fired three shells from its main gun, two of which landed about 150 meters from the UN force.
UNIFIL had informed the Israeli military of planned peacekeeper activities in the area, in keeping with standard procedures for patrols along the UN-demarcated Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel. No injuries were reported in either incident.
“We again remind the Israel Defense Forces, and all parties, of the obligation to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and to cease attacks against them,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
UNIFIL has monitored the volatile border region for decades amid recurring tensions between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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UN calls on Israel to halt ‘disturbingly common’ attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon
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UN calls on Israel to halt ‘disturbingly common’ attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon
- UN Interim Force in Lebanon reports 2 Israeli attacks in past 24 hours against personnel clearly identifiable as UN staff
- 2 suspected flare mortars hit UN position near Yaroun in southern Lebanon, and shells fired by Israeli tanks advancing deeper into Lebanon land close to UN forces
EU designates Iran's Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as ‘terrorist organization’
BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed Thursday to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a “terrorist organization” over a deadly crackdown on mass protests, sending a powerful message of condemnation to Tehran.
“This was long overdue,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen posted online after foreign ministers from the bloc took the decision.
“’Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood.”
Though largely symbolic, the EU move has already drawn a warning from Tehran it would have “destructive consequences.”
The 27-nation bloc meanwhile also adopted visa bans and asset freezes on 21 state entities and Iranian officials — including the interior minister, prosecutor general and regional IRGC commanders — over the repression.
Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the protests, giving a toll of over 3,000 people, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”
Rights groups say the toll is far higher, potentially in the tens of thousands, and note that protesters were killed by security forces including the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) directly firing on them.
France, Italy shift
The IRGC is the ideological arm of Tehran’s military and was created after the 1979 revolution to protect the clerical leadership. The Guards control or own companies across the Iranian economy, including major strategic sectors.
“The estimate is that still the diplomatic channels will remain open even after the listing of the Revolutionary Guards,” the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said earlier Thursday.
The EU action against the IRGC comes after France announced Wednesday it backed the move, following a similar shift from Italy.
Hailed by Iran’s arch-foe Israel as a “historic decision,” the step matches similar classification enacted by the United States, Canada and Australia.
Paris had widely been seen as reluctant to act against the IRGC due to fears over the impact on Europeans detained in the country and a wish to keep diplomatic ties open.
“There can be no impunity for the crimes committed,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on arrival in Brussels.
“This decision is also an appeal by France to the Iranian authorities to release the prisoners thrown by thousands into the regime’s prisons, to end the executions that are perpetuating the most violent repression in Iran’s modern history,” he said.
Barrot urged Tehran to end an Internet blackout and “give back to the Iranian people the capacity to choose their own future.”
The EU has already sanctioned several hundred Iranian officials and entities over crackdowns on previous protest movements and over Tehran’s support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The IRGC as a whole and senior commanders are already under EU sanctions, meaning that adding them to the terror blacklist is expected to have little practical impact on the organization.
“This was long overdue,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen posted online after foreign ministers from the bloc took the decision.
“’Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood.”
Though largely symbolic, the EU move has already drawn a warning from Tehran it would have “destructive consequences.”
The 27-nation bloc meanwhile also adopted visa bans and asset freezes on 21 state entities and Iranian officials — including the interior minister, prosecutor general and regional IRGC commanders — over the repression.
Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the protests, giving a toll of over 3,000 people, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”
Rights groups say the toll is far higher, potentially in the tens of thousands, and note that protesters were killed by security forces including the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) directly firing on them.
France, Italy shift
The IRGC is the ideological arm of Tehran’s military and was created after the 1979 revolution to protect the clerical leadership. The Guards control or own companies across the Iranian economy, including major strategic sectors.
“The estimate is that still the diplomatic channels will remain open even after the listing of the Revolutionary Guards,” the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said earlier Thursday.
The EU action against the IRGC comes after France announced Wednesday it backed the move, following a similar shift from Italy.
Hailed by Iran’s arch-foe Israel as a “historic decision,” the step matches similar classification enacted by the United States, Canada and Australia.
Paris had widely been seen as reluctant to act against the IRGC due to fears over the impact on Europeans detained in the country and a wish to keep diplomatic ties open.
“There can be no impunity for the crimes committed,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on arrival in Brussels.
“This decision is also an appeal by France to the Iranian authorities to release the prisoners thrown by thousands into the regime’s prisons, to end the executions that are perpetuating the most violent repression in Iran’s modern history,” he said.
Barrot urged Tehran to end an Internet blackout and “give back to the Iranian people the capacity to choose their own future.”
The EU has already sanctioned several hundred Iranian officials and entities over crackdowns on previous protest movements and over Tehran’s support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The IRGC as a whole and senior commanders are already under EU sanctions, meaning that adding them to the terror blacklist is expected to have little practical impact on the organization.
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