Argentina has informed the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of its decision to withdraw from the force, a UNIFIL spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
"Argentina has asked its officers to go back [to Argentina]," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in response to a question about a report on the matter.
Tenenti refrained from elaborating on Argentina’s reasons for the withdrawal, directing inquiries to the Argentine government.
Argentina is one of 48 countries contributing to UNIFIL, which is tasked with monitoring the border area between southern Lebanon and Israel. According to the UN website, the country currently has three personnel stationed in Lebanon.
Tenenti emphasized that there is no widespread indication of diminishing support for the mission. "The idea is to stay. So there is no discussion of withdrawing at all," he said, according to Reuters.
While Argentina has not yet responded to Tenenti’s remarks, its reported decision came after UNIFIL posts were struck twice on Tuesday by rockets fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
UNIFIL has repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately targeting its peacekeepers in Lebanon when striking Hezbollah posts that have been placed near UNIFIL positions.
The IDF has stressed that it has instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter into protected spaces before the strikes and added and explained that Hezbollah deliberately operates with the intent to harm Israeli civilians from civilian areas and near UNIFIL posts.
Tenenti again made similar accusations on Tuesday, claiming, "We're still working on fixing some of the positions, but this has been definitely a very difficult moment, because we've been deliberately attacked by the IDF in recent months, and we're doing our utmost to rebuild the areas."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently responded to accusations that the IDF has targeted UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon, calling these accusations "completely false."
"The charge that Israel deliberately attacked UNIFIL personnel is completely false," Netanyahu stated. "It's exactly the opposite. Israel repeatedly asks UNIFIL to get out of harm's way. It repeatedly asked them to temporarily leave the combat zone, which is right next to Israel's border with Lebanon."
Netanyahu also again urged UNIFIL to relocate its peacekeepers so they are away from IDF activity. However, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix outright rejected that request.