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On Friday, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a year, and reduced the number of this force, calling on Beirut to facilitate access to the tunnels that cross the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel.
Diplomats noted that the council unanimously adopted a draft resolution in this context, drawn up by France.
The resolution stipulates that “recognizing that UNIFIL (force) has successfully fulfilled its mandate since 2006, which has enabled it to maintain peace and security since then,” the Council “decides to reduce the maximum number of personnel from 15,000 to 13,000. “.
In fact, that decision will not change much, a diplomat who requested anonymity told AFP, as there are currently 10,500 UNIFIL peacekeepers.
On the other hand, the text calls on the “government of Lebanon to facilitate rapid and full access by UNIFIL to the sites that the force wants to investigate, including all places north of the Blue Line (which separates Lebanon from Israel) connected to the discovery of tunnels “in 2019 that allow incursions into the territories. The Israeli.
And the United States, which fully supports Israel, has pushed, since early summer, to reduce the number of UNIFIL and allow access to the tunnels attributed to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which has its influence in southern Lebanon. .
And Washington recently denounced the inability of the United Nations to reach the entrances of these tunnels from the Lebanese side.
In the midst of the economic and political crisis in Lebanon, the Lebanese authorities demanded the extension of the United Nations mission without any changes, in a position commensurate with the demand of Hezbollah.
The Security Council resolution also calls on the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, to “establish a detailed plan, with specific dates and mechanisms”, in coordination with Lebanon and the troop-contributing countries, with the aim of improving the performance of UNIFIL.
In a report, Guterres called for the force to be “more flexible and more mobile.”
Monitoring and violations
In his report, the Secretary-General said: “Adapting the situation of UNIFIL to its operational environment and current and future challenges requires the creation of a force that is more flexible and able to move in particular.” “Standard APCs are not suitable for congested areas, narrow streets and mountainous terrain,” he added. You need smaller vehicles like high mobility light tactical vehicles. “
Guterres emphasized that providing UNIFIL with a lighter weight would reduce obstacles faced by the movement of this force and its movements. The Secretary-General noted that it would also be beneficial for UNIFIL to have “a better reconnaissance capability, replacing the heavy infantry posts that serve daily activities with reconnaissance missions.”
In his recommendations, the Secretary-General also called for the construction of observation towers and for UNIFIL to make use of modern technologies, especially data collection, analysis and exchange techniques. In his report, Guterres pointed out that the monitoring and reconnaissance operations carried out by UNIFIL using surveillance cameras, sensors and remote-controlled surveillance systems could be strengthened by equipping the UN force with thermal cameras, advanced binoculars and drones, especially to monitor the Blue Line. The denomination of the border line between Lebanon and Israel.
The Security Council asked Guterres to present the first elements of his plan within 60 days.
UNIFIL has been present in Lebanon since 1978, and was strengthened after a war between Israel and Hezbollah that lasted 33 days in the summer of 2006 and ended with the issuance of International Resolution 1701, which established a cessation of hostilities and strengthened the deployment of UNIFIL and its tasks, as it had the task of monitoring the cessation of hostilities in coordination with the Lebanese army.
In its resolution, the Security Council condemned “all violations of the Blue Line, by air and by land,” and called on “all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities.”
The resolution urged the Secretary-General to submit detailed and prompt reports on violations of Lebanese sovereignty and restrictions that impede the movement of UNIFIL forces.
On Wednesday morning, the Israeli army announced that its forces had shelled Hezbollah checkpoints on the borders with Lebanon in response to targeted fire, in a “dangerous” escalation between the two sides.
This escalation came after the Lebanese Hezbollah announced last weekend that it had shot down an Israeli plane that had penetrated Lebanese airspace.
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