The UN Security Council failed to mention Hezbollah as it extended the annual mandate of its peacekeeping force along Israel’s northern border, tasked with monitoring compliance with Resolution 1701.
The text prohibits non-state armed actors such as Hezbollah from operating along the Israeli border south of the Litani River.
“It is unfair for this council to condemn Hezbollah” and “we regret that because of a small minority of council members, the council was prevented from doing so during the renewal of its mandate,” US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said at the UN Security Council meeting in New York.
Member states approved the resolution, which was a significantly watered-down version of the document approved last year.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1979, was tasked with monitoring violations of the ceasefire that ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006, codified by UN Resolution 1701.
In recent years, Israel has criticized the UN for failing to provide UNIFIL with the means to fully monitor the situation in southern Lebanon to ensure that the Iranian proxy group cannot operate there.
Lebanon, in turn, has expressed frustration with Israeli military actions against terrorist groups on its territory, claiming that it is a violation of its sovereignty.
This year’s vote, however, took place against the backdrop of a 10-month cross-border war between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, which has left more than 60,000 Israelis unable to live in their border communities and has also forced thousands of Lebanese civilians to flee their border area with Israel. This war has been taking place concurrently with the Gaza war.
Call to Hezbollah
“Hezbollah’s violent attacks endanger Israeli and Lebanese civilians. They jeopardize Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty. Lebanon must not be a haven for terrorist organizations or a launching pad for attacks against Israel.”
“There is no doubt that Iran, in flagrant violation of the arms embargo under Resolution 1701, supplies Hezbollah with the majority of rockets, missiles and drones fired at Israel.
“Let us be clear: Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks. No member of this Council facing a brutal terrorist organization on its border would tolerate daily attacks and the displacement of tens of thousands of its own citizens,” Mr. Wood said.
He stressed that to be effective, UNIFIL’s mandate must be strengthened and the area south of the Litani River must be cleared of non-State armed actors.
The meeting came a day after the Israeli military successfully thwarted a major Hezbollah attack on Israel on Sunday and as Iran continues to threaten to directly strike the Jewish state, a move the international community has rejected.
British Deputy Ambassador James Kariuki said: “Iran is sowing further conflict and chaos by supplying advanced weapons to Hezbollah. We urge Iran to remove its proxy and call on Hezbollah to de-escalate the situation immediately.”
Israel’s newly appointed UN Ambassador Danny Danon stressed that the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate came in extraordinary circumstances, given the past ten months of war.
Since October 8, he said, Hezbollah has launched more than 8,000 rockets against Israel and more than 300 Iranian-made explosive drones, as well as 15,000 anti-tank missiles.
Most of these rockets and drones were launched from southern Israel, Danon said, while showing a photo of the rocket launchers in that area.
He noted, however, that the mandate did not mention Hezbollah, but that the Council could not continue to ignore this reality.
In previous years, the resolution also failed to mention Hezbollah, but its absence was particularly striking to the United States and Israel this year.
Danoin called on the Council to designate Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist groups.
“It is unacceptable that this resolution puts the two sides on an equal footing, calling on both sides to de-escalate,” he said.
Danon also called on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah. “It is your responsibility to ensure that there are no weapons in southern Lebanon other than those of the Lebanese Armed Forces.”
Lebanon must “decide whether it wants to be a functioning state that provides security for its citizens and neighbors or become a failed state controlled by Iran.”
He warned that while Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to cross-border violence, it will not tolerate this situation any longer. “If diplomacy fails, we will use all necessary means to restore calm and stability in northern Israel,” he said.
Lebanon’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Hadi Hachem, told the Council that the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate was “proof of the international community’s interest in Lebanon.”
“This is a clear message from your honorable council in favor of stability and a ceasefire. It is a gesture of hope for all Lebanese who reject war, violence and destruction, the Lebanese who want to give peace a chance,” he said.
Mr Netanyahu visited the northern border on Wednesday and pledged to restore security there, stressing that it was a “national goal first and foremost. We are determined to achieve this – and we will achieve it.”
The resolution itself called for full implementation of Resolution 1701, including an end to all hostilities along that border.
Reuters contributed to this report.
