MK Tzvi Succot, chair of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee, wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding immediate action against the continued operation of the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon.
The appeal follows a report by Arutz Sheva - Israel National News according to which members of the UN force collect information on IDF movements in southern Lebanon, information that, according to the report, ultimately reaches the terrorist organization Hezbollah.
In his letter Succot wrote that dozens of UNIFIL positions are deployed along the contact line and observe much of the IDF's movement routes in the sector. He said, "If the reports are correct, this constitutes a "serious operational threat" that could endanger the lives of the soldiers."
He wrote, "It cannot be that an international force that ostensibly operates to preserve stability will in practice become a factor that endangers IDF soldiers," Succot wrote, "If there is even a concern that information collected by UNIFIL reaches Hezbollah, the State of Israel must act immediately to stop it."
He added, "The lives of our soldiers take precedence over any diplomatic consideration. Those who do not prevent terror, and certainly those who may assist it, cannot continue to operate in the area."
Succot also claimed that over the years UNIFIL has failed to fulfill its purpose under UN resolutions and has not prevented Hezbollah's strengthening in southern Lebanon. He said that, given the current security reality, the force does not have a real ability to act in accordance with its mandate.
In his letter he asked the Prime Minister to act urgently to prevent the presence of UNIFIL soldiers in the area, or at least to prevent them from having any possibility of collecting information regarding the location and activity of IDF forces in southern Lebanon.
Last week, Arutz Sheva - Israel National News reported that during a closed discussion in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, IDF representatives admitted that UNIFIL collects information on IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon. According to the information presented at the discussion, the information collected leaks to Hezbollah and creates a real security risk for forces in the field.
In recent months senior IDF officials have warned that the force operates against the IDF and exceeds its authority in the field.
The UN peacekeeping force numbers about 13,000 soldiers and was first deployed in southern Lebanon in 1978. In August last year the UN Security Council extended its mandate in the area until the end of 2026. According to that decision, the UN force is to withdraw from Lebanon in 2027.