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Source: Arabia.net – agencies
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to downsize UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and expand their mandated tasks to address U.S. and Israeli concerns about the activities. of the Hezbollah militia in the region.
The French-drafted resolution reduced the maximum number of troops, known as “UNIFIL,” from 15,000 to 13,000, under US pressure. It is noteworthy that the decision to reduce the number of “UNIFIL” will not change much in reality in southern Lebanon, a diplomat who requested anonymity told “Agence France Presse”, as there are currently 10,500 blue helmets. .
UNIFIL staff in South Lebanon
The resolution also adopted another demand from the United States and Israel, as it called on the Lebanese government to provide “immediate and complete access” to the sites that the peacekeepers requested to inspect to investigate the problems, including the tunnels that cross the Blue Line. drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel.
The resolution also called for granting UN forces freedom of movement and unhindered access to all areas of the Blue Line. It condemned “in the strongest terms” all attempts to restrict the movements of United Nations forces and attacks against mission personnel.
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 called on the UN Secretary-General to submit swift and detailed reports on violations of Lebanese sovereignty and restrictions hampering the movements of “UNIFIL” forces.
A UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon, with the Hezbollah flag hoisted at the side of the road
Israel has long accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah of preventing UNIFIL forces from carrying out their mandate, a view that the US administration strongly supports.
And in 2019, Israel destroyed a series of “attack tunnels”, as it said, that Hezbollah had dug under the border.
“Today we stop a long period of indulgence by the Council towards UNIFIL and the growing and destabilizing influence of Iran and its client, the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” US Representative Kelly Craft said in a statement after the vote. “The administration of (US President Donald) Trump has been very concerned in recent years about his impotence.” UNIFIL “generally tries to contain the threat from Hezbollah.”
“We will not allow this to continue. The Security Council must join us in addressing this,” he added.
Kraft urged the United Nations to take advantage of the content of the resolution, believing that the Lebanese government must redouble its efforts to ensure the ability of “UNIFIL” to fulfill its mandate.
A member of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon in front of photographs of Hezbollah leaders and the Amal Movement
He warned: “If today’s action does not lead to the necessary improvements, including improving UNIFIL access to all sites and steps to reduce Hezbollah’s vast and growing arsenal of weapons, Council members must be prepared to take further action when the mandate is renewed next year. ” .
For his part, Israel’s representative to the United Nations, Gilad Ardan, went further, describing the decision as a “last warning” to the Lebanese government and stating that it will “assume responsibility and assume full responsibility for any escalation of tensions or dire consequences of such actions “if Hezbollah continues. On the transformation of southern Lebanon “into a base for its terrorist activity under the gaze of UNIFIL”.
Erdan said Israel will respond “with force” to any terrorist attack from Lebanese territory.
Notably, UNIFIL has been present in Lebanon since 1978, and was strengthened after a war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, which ended with the issuance of UN Resolution 1701, which established a cessation of hostilities and strengthened the deployment of international forces and their missions, as it was charged with monitoring the cessation of hostilities in coordination with the Lebanese Army.
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