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, after the second attack on the force’s personnel in two days. In a phone call with his Israeli counterpart, US defence chief Lloyd Austin stressed “the importance of ensuring the safety” of the United Nations force, known as UNIFIL, the Pentagon said. After weeks of intensifying assaults on the Lebanese militant group Hezboll…