A Lebanese judge has issued an indictment against an employee of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on a charge of “collaborating with Israel.”
Lebanese Military Investigative Judge Riad Abou Ghida issued the order of indictment on Tuesday against UNIFIL employee Hani Matar. The judge also issued a similar indictment against Syrian national Ramez al-Sayyed and his wife, according to LBCEurope.
UNIFIL announced last month that one of its Lebanese employees had been transferred to Lebanese authorities after being accused of spying for Israel.
Although the charges were brought in Lebanon’s military court, Lt. Colonel Lila K. Chhetri, listed on the UNIFIL website as the agency’s senior military public information officer, declined to comment on the issue. JewishPress.com was unable to reach UNIFIL Public Information spokesperson Andrea Tenenti.
UNIFIL was created by the United Nations Security Council in March 1978 to “confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese government in restoring its effective authority in the area.”
The organization is also required to “accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the south of Lebanon and extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.”
In addition to that mandate, the Council tasked the Force with monitoring the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists following the 2006 Second Lebanon War — a task that was to include preventing the terrorist group from rearming itself — at which it has failed spectacularly. Hezbollah has not only rearmed to levels nearly double those at which it began prior to the 2006 Second Lebanon War; the terrorist group has also integrated into the social fabric of its host country to the point that it has now become the second largest governing entity and military organization in Lebanon.