Israel’s prime minister has urged the UN peacekeeping force to leave southern Lebanon

In a video statement issued by his office on Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) to get its troops “out of harm’s way”, claiming that their presence in the region made them “hostages of Hezbollah”. Since 1978, they have patrolled the area between the Litani River and the UN-recognised boundary between Lebanon and Israel known as the “Blue Line”. Five peacekeepers have been injured in recent days. On Saturday, Unifil said a soldier had been shot at its headquarters in the city of Naquora – though it did not know the origin of the bullet. Should the peace keepers leave southern Lebanon?