Israel has complained to the UN Security Council about Hezbollah’s terrorist attacks, warning that they could derail the region into a major confrontation.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, on Thursday morning sent a scathing complaint to the Security Council and demanded that it take immediate action against the Lebanese government and the UNIFIL force, following the Hezbollah shooting at IDF forces on the northern border Tuesday night.
Erdan attached to the complaint an aerial photo of the area from which Hezbollah tried to carry out the attack Tuesday, wedged between two positions of the UN force. He said the photo illustrates the helplessness of the UNIFIL force which is not fulfilling its mission.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is a UN-NATO peacekeeping mission which, among other things, monitors the cessation of hostilities; ensures that the government of Lebanon restore its effective authority in the area; accompanies and supports the Lebanese Armed Forces as they deploy throughout the south of Lebanon; and extends its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.
“The latest attack on IDF forces, along with the intensification of Hezbollah and its activities in southern Lebanon, increase the chances of escalation on the northern border and it could have serious consequences for Lebanon and the region as a whole,” Erdan said.
Meanwhile, progress has been made between France and the United States in their discussions of UNIFIL’s mandate, with the aim of granting more powers to the force to allow it access to sites it could not previously reach, according to sources involved in the details of the discussions who spoke to Kan 11 News Thursday morning.
So far, France has refused to give the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon more powers. But the sources who are close to the discussions say that while no agreement has yet been reached between the parties, the talks continue with the aim of reaching an agreement later this week.
If no agreement is reached this week, the talks will continue through August 31, the last day of the INIFIL mandate.
The IDF says that it is not inconceivable that Hezbollah will attack again, in retaliation for the death of its terrorist in an attack on Syria which was attributed to Israel. Israel is closely monitoring the activities of the Lebanese terrorist organization and has warned that it would respond to Tuesday’s sniper fire, and the response to another attack could be severe.
On Wednesday, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Hedi Zilberman referred to the Tuesday incident saying: “We are in the battle, the forces are ready. What’s important to us in the last week of August is to continue the normal routine of the residents of the north as much as possible. We get up in the morning wearing our uniform to be ready as needed.”