The incidents drew rebuke from several of Israel’s allies, including France, Italy and Spain. A Downing Street spokesman said Britain was “shocked”.
In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu said European leaders should direct their criticism at Hezbollah, not Israel.
Israel claims that Unifil has failed to stabilize the region and prevent Hezbollah fighters from operating south of the Litani River – one of the reasons for the UN presence there.
It previously said it was acting in accordance with a 2004 UN resolution calling for the disbandment of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militant groups, and that its request for the withdrawal of peacekeepers was made so it could confront Hezbollah.
Netanyahu said the calls were “met with rejection” and that Unifil was providing a “human shield to Hezbollah terrorists.”
“It threatens both themselves and the lives of our soldiers,” he added.
“We regret the injury to the Unifil soldiers and are doing everything in our power to prevent this injury. But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone.”
Unifil officials have repeatedly refused to withdraw troops from the region.
A spokesman for the organization, Andrea Tenenti, told AFP on Saturday that there was a “unanimous decision to stay because it is important that the UN flag still flies high in this region.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nijab Mikati condemned Netanyahu’s position.
In a statement, he said the Israeli prime minister’s comments represented “a new chapter in the adversary’s approach to non-compliance with international law.”
Mikati called on other countries to “take a firm position that will stop Israeli aggression.”
