The United Nations warned
Lebanese President Michel Aoun against arming Hezbollah, a day after
Aoun said that the Iran-backed terrorist organization was essential to
Lebanon’s security.
Sigrid Kaag, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, tweeted
Monday, “Recalling SCR 1701 vital 4 Lebanon’s stability-security.
Resolution calls 4 disarmament all armed groups. No arms outside control
of state.” UN Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted unanimously
to end the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, called for the
disarming of all militias in Lebanon and the re-establishment of the
Lebanese government’s authority over the southern part of the country,
and prohibited the transfer of arms to any entity other than the
government in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s continued armed presence in southern
Lebanon violates these three elements of the resolution.
Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, said on
Sunday that Hezbollah’s weapons “do not contradict the state… and are
an essential part of defending Lebanon. As long as the Lebanese army
lacks sufficient power to face Israel, we feel the need for
(Hezbollah’s) arsenal because it complements the army’s role.” He said in January that Iran’s support for the group “could continue indefinitely.” Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad Hariri, a Sunni, countered Aoun’s
statements on Tuesday by calling Hezbollah’s arsenal illegitimate.
In The Times of Israel on Monday, journalist Avi Issacharoff explained
that the Israeli military is increasingly concerned about deepening
cooperation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army. The situation is
especially delicate because the Lebanese army receives much of its
weaponry from the United States.
“In southern Lebanon, it’s Hezbollah that calls the shots,”
Issacharoff wrote. “There is no village in the south (with the possible
exception of several Sunni villages) that has not been transformed into a
fortified bastion of Hezbollah, which possesses an entire array of
command and control, communications systems, and a variety of arms
including rockets (of course) and anti-tank weapons.” An Israeli defense
official explained in
2015 that the buildup of Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure in southern
Lebanese villages meant that “civilians are living in a military
compound” and that their lives were at risk.
Hezbollah reportedly has an arsenal of 130,000 rockets, more than the combined total of all 27 non-U.S. NATO member states.
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