BICOM

The UN Security Council (UNSC) met in a closed session yesterday to discuss the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701.

Before the meeting Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon issued a report to the Council in which he detailed 421 violations of the resolution in May and June. Most of these involved surveillance operations and the placement of armed servicemen by Hezbollah along the border.

Danon said that Hezbollah violates Resolution 1701 “on a daily basis” as it “continues to expand its arsenal in the midst of Lebanese civilian population centres and seeks to destabilise the entire region”.

He called on the international community “to confront this threat head-on” and “not allow this dangerous strengthening of Hezbollah”.

On Tuesday the IDF released additional footage of Hezbollah members gathering intelligence on Israel. The IDF said the terrorist group uses NGOs as a front for information gathering in order to harm Israel.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley also met privately with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag on Wednesday and said it is imperative to “apply more pressure on Hezbollah to disarm and cease its destabilising behaviour, especially toward Israel”.

Haley further warned of the potential for “further escalation in regional tensions,” adding that the UN peacekeeping force the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), needed “to be fully engaged in addressing the threat posed by Hezbollah, according to UNIFIL’s mandate”.

Resolution 1701 was adopted in August 2006 at the end of the 34-day Second Lebanon War. It stipulated that Israel withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon, in parallel with Lebanese and UN soldiers deploying throughout the south, and called “the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that … there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese State”.

According to Israeli intelligence estimates, over the past decade Hezbollah has significantly built up its arsenal and possesses approximately 130,000 rockets. In June Military Intelligence Chief Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi confirmed reports that Iran has been building underground facilities in Lebanon to produce advanced rockets for Hezbollah.