UNITED NATIONS: UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix described the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel as “fragile,” urging the Israeli army to withdraw from Lebanese territory.
“The cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, while fragile, continues to hold,” Lacroix told the Security Council.
Noting the Lebanese government’s commitment to uphold the ceasefire agreements, he pledged the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) commitment to support both parties.
“Further LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) deployment is contingent on the prior withdrawal of the IDF (Israeli army),” he said.
Welcoming a reported plan set for a sequenced withdrawal plan for the Israeli army and the deployment of the LAF, Lacroix said: “With 10 days until the end of the stated 60-day period for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, however, Israeli demolitions of tunnels, buildings, and agricultural land continue.”
“Some airstrikes have also been reported, as have ongoing violations of Lebanese airspace,” he said, adding that the Israeli army’s ongoing presence is a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war in Lebanon.
He urged the army “to withdraw from Lebanese territory without delay, certainly by the end of the period envisaged in the announcement of the cessation of hostilities.”
Lacroix further reported that UN personnel remain at the UNIFIL base or seek shelter in bunkers due to the Israeli army’s attacks.
“UNIFIL’s operational activities are further constrained due to the presence of unexploded ordnance, IDF roadblocks at various locations in the area of operations, and interference from local individuals,” he said.
Patrick Gauchat, the head of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), also reported Israeli presence at the area of separation.
“The IDF continued to carry out construction work inside the area of separation with heavy equipment. They also set up communication equipment inside the area,” he said.
The UNTSO chief said the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) warned Israel about its violations to the 1974 disengagement of force agreement with its presence in the area of separation.
“Some residents (in the area of separation) have also protested IDF searches in their villages, with some reporting arrests of their relatives,” he said.
Emphasizing that the disengagement agreement remains valid between Israel and Syria, Gauchat said: “It is imperative that the UN peacekeepers are allowed to carry out their mandated task without obstruction.”
Since Syrian anti-regime groups overthrew Bashar Assad on Dec. 8, Israel has intensified its airstrikes across Syria violating the country’s sovereignty.
Israel has also unilaterally terminated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria, deploying forces in the demilitarized buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights. The move has been condemned by the UN and several Arab nations.
While Israel claims its presence is temporary, officials have hinted at the necessity of maintaining influence in Syria for the foreseeable future.
