Israel supports the extension of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), however, the country also calls for major reforms to the decree to make it more effective against the Hezbollah political movement, Lior Haiat, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2020) Israel supports the extension of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), however, the country also calls for major reforms to the decree to make it more effective against the Hezbollah political movement, Lior Haiat, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday.
"Israel does support the renewal of the mandate of the UNIFIL, but we do think that there should be a huge change in the way that the UN and the UN Security Council and its members enforce the mandate that the UNIFIL received under the 1701 resolution that will allow them to be effectively present in southern Lebanon," Haiat said during an online briefing on Israel's border with Lebanon.
The diplomat noted that although Israel appreciated the United Nations' efforts on the border, this was not enough to establish peace and security in the region.
"This is our objective as well. But unless they [international peacekeeping troops] will have effective way of working in southern Lebanon, going through the houses, through the fields, through the places that we know that Hezbollah are using as arsenals or even as launching spots, unless they'll have a power to be there, they are not fulfilling their mandate and they're not doing the best that they can do in order to keep this border peaceful," Haiat noted.
According to the spokesman, Hezbollah grew deep roots in southern Lebanon and therefore UNIFIL is no longer effective.
"So the answer is making the tool more effective, pressuring the government of Lebanon to [make] UNIFIL as effective as possible in that area," Haiat concluded.
UNIFIL was originally established in 1978 to ensure Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon and restore peace and security. Following the Israeli-Hezbollah war that took place from July-August 2006, the UN Security Council has significantly enhanced and expanded the original mandate.
The Hezbollah movement is labeled as a terror organization in Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States and several other countries.
