EU won't pull back UN troops from south Lebanon, Austrian minister says

European Union countries that contribute to UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (Unifil) have no intention of pulling back from the south of the country despite Israeli calls to do so, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.

Since an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon began on 1 October, Unifil positions have come under Israeli fire and two Israeli tanks burst through the gates of one of its bases. The Israeli attacks wounded five peacekeepers.

Sixteen EU countries, including Austria, contribute to Unifil and the recent incidents have sparked widespread alarm among European governments.

Schallenberg, summarising a discussion among EU foreign ministers on Monday, said European nations were not minded to pull troops back or out.

"There was no debate about pulling back or whatever," he told Reuters in an interview in Brussels.

"They are there to stay but the security and the safety of our troops is paramount and has to be ensured by everybody," said Schallenberg, whose country has about 160 soldiers in Unifil.

He added Israel had a right to defend itself against Hezbollah but even unintentional attacks on peacekeeping positions were a breach of international law.

"There's a clear demand on Israel to be very cautious on this," he said in the interview, which took place late on Tuesday afternoon.

Reporting by Reuters