Israel has again warned that Hezbollah is preparing hostilities against the Jewish state under the guise of civilian activity.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon presented new evidence to the Security Council (UNSC) revealing that the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group has established a series of outposts along the border with Israel under the guise of an agricultural organization.
The agricultural NGO, Green Without Borders, is funded by and operates on behalf of Hezbollah, Israel charges.
In a letter sent to UNSC members on Tuesday and published in the media Thursday, Danon explained that in April, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol was denied access by a group of locals to an observation post flying the ‘Green Without Borders’ flag.
Danon included in his letter to the UNSC photographs of the observation posts and their locations.
“The well-documented proof of Hezbollah’s dangerous provocation verifies that Hezbollah conducts reconnaissance activity near the Blue Line [the UN-drawn boundary between Lebanon and Israel] and disguises it as civilian activity, in clear violation of UNSC resolutions 1701 and 1559,” Danon wrote.
He warned that “Hezbollah’s continued military buildup and destabilizing activities in southern Lebanon have serious repercussions on both regional stability and the ability of the Lebanese government to effectively control its country.”
“The international community cannot continue to turn a blind eye to Hezbollah’s flagrant violations of UNSC resolutions,” the ambassador continued. He concluded his letter by calling on the UNSC to demand that the government of Lebanon dismantle these observation posts immediately.
The IDF on Thursday released photos and a video of the Hezbollah observation posts. One video showed a pair of uniformed men climbing onto a watchtower on spots used by Green Without Borders.
UN Denies Charges
Responding to the charges on Friday, UNIFIL said it has not seen any violations of the ceasefire.
UN spokeswoman Eri Kaneko told reporters that over the past two years, UNIFIL “has observed tree-planting activities undertaken by the NGO as is their stated objective.”
“UNIFIL has not observed any unauthorized armed persons at the location or found any basis to report a violation of the (cease-fire) resolution,” she said.
Danon responded by saying, “It is unfortunate that UNIFIL has chosen to turn the other way as Hezbollah continues to operate in the region. This NGO is not protecting the environment, but is conducting reconnaissance activity along our border. It is time for UNIFIL to fulfill its mandate and ensure that UN Security Council resolutions are implanted.”
Israel has previously protested Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire and presented evidence to the UN proving that the terror organization is utilizing the civilian setting in the area to prepare and launch another attack on Israel.
By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News