Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen yesterday accused the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of being a “useless” force that failed to protect Israelis from Hezbollah attacks and called on it to withdraw as fighting ramps up.

Over the past week, the UN has said that the Israeli military has fired on its peacekeepers, forcibly entered its base, stopped logistics and injured more than a dozen of its troops in southern Lebanon.

The United States and European powers urged Israel on Friday to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers after four were injured in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon this week. US President Joe Biden said he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at the peacekeepers,