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Irish PM demands Israel 'stop firing' at UN peacekeepers

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Agence France-Presse

<p>DUBLIN — Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris on Saturday urged Israel to heed &quot;the concerns of the international community&quot; and not repeat recent firing on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.</p><p>&quot;Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon,&quot; Ireland&#x27;s leader said in a statement, his latest comments on the recent incidents that have sparked a fierce diplomatic backlash.</p><p>&quot;Israel must listen to the voice and the concerns of the international community,&quot; he added.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/11/philippines-to-repatriate-213-filipinos-from-lebanon-1009">READ: Philippines to repatriate 213 Filipinos from Lebanon<br/></a></div><p>Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which is charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.</p><p>Israel said its forces fired at a threat near a UNIFIL position in Lebanon Friday, acknowledging that a &quot;hit&quot; was responsible for wounding two Blue Helmets.</p><p>The two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt at UNIFIL&#x27;s main base in Naqura, southern Lebanon, according to the mission.</p><p>It follows two Indonesian soldiers suffering injuries when tank fire hit a watchtower the previous day, the mission said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/11/philippines-to-repatriate-213-filipinos-from-lebanon-1009">RELATED: Migrant workers&#x27; group pushes for mandatory repatriation of OFWs in Lebanon</a></div><p>The Irish Defence Forces has said none of its staff were hurt in Thursday&#x27;s incident.</p><p>Harris, who visited US President Joe Biden earlier in the week, said in the statement he and Biden &quot;agreed that those who serve in Blue Helmets on behalf of the UN must always be afforded full protection&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/10/us-warns-israel-not-to-repeat-gaza-destruction-in-lebanon-1452">READ: US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon<br/></a></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rkDDki_jhE8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>"Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon," Ireland's leader said in a statement, his latest comments on the recent incidents that have sparked a fierce diplomatic backlash.</p>

"Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon," Ireland's leader said in a statement, his latest comments on the recent incidents that have sparked a fierce diplomatic backlash.