Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the United Nations to “immediately” move peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon “out of harm’s way”.

The Israeli prime minister said the UN had “repeatedly refused” to withdraw Unifil, its interim force in Lebanon, which he claimed had allowed Hezbollah to use peacekeepers as “human shields”.

“Your refusal to evacuate Unifil soldiers has turned them into hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” he said.

Switching from Hebrew to English, Mr Netanyahu then appealed directly to Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, who was recently banned from entering Israel. “Mr Secretary General, get the Unifil forces out of harm’s way,” he said. “It should be done right now, immediately.”

Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister, criticised Mr Netanyahu’s comments, describing them as “a new chapter in the enemy’s approach of not complying with international norms”.

It came after Unifil, which has been in southern Lebanon since the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, said a fifth peacekeeper had been hit by gunfire at its headquarters in Naqoura. Unifil also said Israel had forcibly entered its base in southern Lebanon and blocked its peacekeepers’ movements in a nearby village.