UN Chief Warns of Risk of a New Israeli-Hizbullah Conflict

W460

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a new report that unauthorized weapons in the hands of Hizbullah and threatening rhetoric from the Lebanese group and Israeli officials "heightens risk of miscalculation and escalation into conflict."

The U.N. chief called on Hizbullah and Israel, who fought a war in 2006, "to exercise restraint at all times" and "refrain from potentially inflammatory comments."

Guterres said in the report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Friday that allegations of arms transfers to Hizbullah continue "on a regular basis," which the U.N. takes seriously. But it "is not in a position to substantiate them independently, he said.

Guterres noted, however, that Hizbullah has displayed the weapons and acknowledged using them.

The U.N. resolution that ended the 2006 war calls for Hizbullah and all other militias operating in Lebanon to be disarmed and demobilized. It also calls for the 10,700-strong U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL to monitor a zone south of the Litani River near Israel's border where Hizbullah is banned from keeping weapons.

Guterres said Israel informed UNIFIL of the alleged presence of Hizbullah weapons and infrastructure in three specific locations in that zone, which the U.N. force closely monitored, including by aerial reconnaissance, satellite imagery and patrols.

But he said "no evidence to confirm the allegations was established."

Guterres cited examples of heightened rhetoric between Hizbullah's leaders and senior Israeli officials and said that despite "relative calm" along the U.N.-drawn Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon the level of tensions between the two countries remains high.

Rhetoric on both sides, he said, has "resulted in increased anxiety, including among the local population."

Guterres said he was equally concerned about continued Israeli overflights of Lebanese territory.

From July 1 to Oct. 30, he said UNIFIL recorded 758 air violations totaling 3,188 overflight hours, "an increase of 80 percent compared with the same period in 2016." He said drones were involved in over 93 percent or 707 of the violations.

With over one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Guterres also said "anti-Syrian refugee sentiment is on the rise in the media and in the political discourse."

He cited an increase in tensions between refugees and host communities, and "a marked increase" in protests over Syrians competing for jobs across Lebanon.

Guterres' report was written before Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri returned to Beirut.

The U.N. chief stressed the importance of parliamentary elections taking place as scheduled in May 2018.

Comments 8
Thumb Mystic 25 November 2017, 13:40

The Resistance have many suprises for the zionist next time.

Thumb justin 25 November 2017, 20:52

remember how you said Hariri's children are being held hostage by Saudi Arabia... guess they were all very very believable fantasies after all ;)

زوجة الحريري وولديه في ضيافة ماكرون
https://www.lebanese-forces.com/2017/11/25/saad-hariri-732/

20:44 زوجة الحريري وولديه في ضيافة ماكرون۔20:37الحريري عبر "تويتر": شكراً للرئيس مكرون وزوجته بريجيت على دعوتهما زوجتي لارا وابنتنا لولوة وابننا عبد العزيز لزيارتهما في الاليزيه اليوم بادرة صداقة عائلية مؤثرة.

Thumb Kalzyturks 25 November 2017, 21:32

Tric.portugal

If War breaks out we will be all Refugees! Including the Syrian Refugees.

So Hope for no war Mate..

Thumb Kalzyturks 26 November 2017, 04:23

Tric.portugal.....

Tric friend the article reffers to Israel and i was implying that if Israel attacks Lebanon we will all be refugees......

Get it?

Thumb ric.portugal 25 November 2017, 23:18

Please excuse my younger brother’s obsession with refugees as well as his struggle spelling.

Thumb Elemental 26 November 2017, 03:34

Anchor baby speaks above, they're still a foreign militia occupying Lebanon. Still lovers.

Thumb Elemental 26 November 2017, 03:35

Two lovers fighting.

Thumb jaafar.ibn.iblees 26 November 2017, 12:28

How many surprises did those two dead iranian terrorists in your avatar have for the zionists?