Izik Pitusi, father of Yishai and a member of the Forum of Heroism leadership, is urging Israel not to allow any international force to operate near the so-called yellow line in southern Lebanon. He said Israel alone is responsible for its security and should not depend on foreign actors, amid growing claims that UNIFIL soldiers are helping Hezbollah and Radwan Force operatives.
Pitusi said the past few weeks have brought more and more reports that UN peacekeepers are passing information to Hezbollah and Radwan fighters, putting Israeli troops on the northern border at risk. “We, the bereaved families, who sacrificed the dearest thing of all, demand that the State of Israel insist that no international force be in the yellow area, and certainly not on Israel’s border,” he said.
He added that these forces are not there to protect Israeli soldiers or civilians, and that his son and other fallen soldiers did not give their lives so such a force could sit on Israel’s border and endanger the country. “The State of Israel is solely responsible for its security, for defending its soldiers and its citizens. Let the IDF win and defend,” Pitusi said.
This week, the Forum of Heroism sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying responsibility must not be removed from the Lebanese government for clearing the area of terrorism. The families also stressed that, despite their respect for U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel’s security must not become a bargaining chip in negotiations with Iran. They wrote that Israel must make decisions only according to its own national security interests.
