ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded today that the United Nations remove its peacekeepers from Lebanon’s “danger zone.”

He told UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres: “Your refusal to evacuate the Unifil soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah.

“Mr secretary-general, get the Unifil forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately.”

Israeli forces have been responsible for wounding five UN peacekeepers since Thursday.

Mr Netanyahu’s demand came after 40 countries with troops in Unifil demanded security guarantees for the peacekeepers.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has been operating since 1978, when it was deployed following an invasion by Israel.

The forces currently has more than 10,000 soldiers from 50 countries and around 800 civilian staff. 

Their role is to maintain calm and reduce tensions along the “blue line” dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

On Friday, Israel admitted for the first time that its troops had carried out an attack that injured two Sri Lankan soldiers in Naqoura earlier in the day and claimed that the incident would be investigated “at the highest levels.”

A Unifil statement said that a peacekeeper “underwent surgery at our Naqoura hospital to remove the bullet and is currently stable.”

A spokesperson for the UN force said on Saturday that the participating nations intended to fulfil their mission, saying there had been a “unanimous decision” to continue the peace mission in the border region.

Some 40 of the 50 countries contributing troops to Unifil, including Ireland, Spain, France, Britain and India issued a joint statement condemning the Israeli attacks on peacekeepers.

The statement said: “We consider Unifil’s role as particularly crucial in light of the escalating situation in the region. 

“We urge the parties of the conflict to respect Unifil’s presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times, so that they can continue to implement its mandate and continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region.

“We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and premises, including avoiding combat activities near Unifil positions.”

On Friday, US President Joe Biden said he was “absolutely, positively” urging Israel to stop firing at the UN peacekeepers.

His country provides most of the military hardware used by Israeli forces.