Israel’s ambassador to the UN demanded that the UN work to enforce Resolution 1701 and stop an escalation in the region.
By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, called on the UN to condemn the rocket attack from Lebanon on northern Israel on Sunday evening.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a letter, the envoy said that “these rockets were fired from south of the Litani River and are in blatant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701… I call on you to condemn these violations immediately, and to address the escalation on the part of Lebanon before the situation further escalates.”
UNSC Resolution 1701 was passed in 2006 at the conclusion of the Second Lebanon War. It called for a full cessation of hostilities, a withdrawal by Hezbollah to behind the Litani River (Blue Line) and called upon the government of Lebanon and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to deploy their forces in the South.
“Israel will not accept any violation of its sovereignty, and will take all necessary measures to protect its citizens,” he clarified.
Danon called for a disarmament of all armed terror groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah. He also emphasized that the threat these attacks represent to the stability of the region is magnified by Hezbollah’s ongoing military buildup in southern Lebanon.
“Every day, new evidence emerges that Hezbollah, an internationally recognized terrorist group, is using southern Lebanon as a military encampment, and is embedding its military infrastructure in civilian areas. Hezbollah has stationed thousands of missiles and rockets in the heart of southern Lebanon’s civilian population, in violation of international law”, the letter said.
The rockets were fired at Israel after notorious terrorist Samir Kuntar was killed in Damascus on Saturday, reportedly in an Israeli airstrike.
IDF artillery pounded terrorist sites in retaliation to the three rockets fired Israeli territory, and an IDF spokesman stated that it held the Lebanese government responsible for attacks emanating from its territory and that it would “continue to act against any attempt to harm Israel’s sovereignty and the security of its citizens.”
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) took responsibility for the attack, however, it was most likely sanctioned by Hezbollah, which controlled the area form which the rockets were fired.
The commander of UNIFIL has called arrest of those responsible for the rocket attack on Israel.
In an official statement issued on Monday, UNIFIL described the incident as “very serious” and a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.