THE UNITED NATIONS: UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has 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, although fragile, continues to hold,” Lacroix told the Security Council.
Noting the commitment of the Lebanese government to respect the ceasefire agreements, he pledged the commitment of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to support both sides.
“The continued deployment of the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) depends on the prior withdrawal of the IDF (Israeli Army),” he said.
Welcoming the announcement of a sequenced withdrawal plan of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Israeli army, Lacroix declared: “10 days before the end of the 60-day period declared for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, however, Israeli demolitions of tunnels, buildings and farmland continue.
“Some airstrikes have also been reported, as have continued violations of Lebanese airspace,” he said, adding that the continued presence of the Israeli army constitutes 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 before the end of the period envisaged in the announcement of the cessation of hostilities.”
Lacroix further reported that UN personnel remained at the UNIFIL base or sought refuge in bunkers due to attacks by the Israeli army.
“UNIFIL’s operational activities are further limited due to the presence of unexploded ordnance, IDF roadblocks at various locations in the area of operations and interference from local individuals,” he said. declared.
Patrick Gauchat, head of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), also noted the Israeli presence in the separation zone.
“The IDF continued to carry out construction work inside the separation zone with heavy equipment. They also installed communications equipment inside the area,” he explained.
The UNTSO chief said the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) had warned Israel of its violations of the 1974 disengagement agreement with its presence in the area of separation.
“Some residents (of the separation zone) also protested the IDF searches in their villages, with some reporting the arrest of their relatives,” he said.
Stressing that the disengagement agreement remains valid between Israel and Syria, Gauchat said: “It is imperative that UN peacekeepers are allowed to carry out their task without obstruction. »
Since Syrian anti-regime groups toppled Bashar al-Assad on December 8, Israel has intensified its airstrikes across Syria, violating the country’s sovereignty.
Israel also unilaterally ended the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria, deploying forces to the demilitarized buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights. This decision was condemned by the UN and several Arab countries.
While Israel claims its presence is temporary, officials have hinted at the need to maintain its influence in Syria for the foreseeable future.
