Do you remember cease fire that ended this past summer’s Israel/Hezbollah War? The one that France watered-down and then shoved down everyone’s throat. The promised UNIFIL force with teeth? Well the only reason the UNIFIL force needs any teeth is to have something to lie through. This force have not followed ANY of the tasks it was charged to perform. For most of the time since the end of the war this force has been led by France—do I detect a pattern?
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, is now flaunting the fact that UNIFIL has has abdicated every one of its responsibilities. This report published by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence’ Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) gives examples of Hezbollah’s significant violations resolution 1701 which ended the war.
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah publicly admits that his organization is rearming and secretly transporting arms to south Lebanon, in blatant violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. Nasrallah sends a clear message to his opponents: Hezbollah is determined to maintain its status as “the defender of Lebanon”.
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Summary of Nasrallah’s speech 1. On February 16, 2007, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a belligerent, arrogant speech in a ceremony held in south Beirut (in the neighborhood of Al-Rawis) on the anniversary of the killing of two senior Hezbollah figures. In his speech, Nasrallah admitted that his organization was rearming and secretly smuggling arms and ammunition to south Lebanon , in blatant violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (which ended the second Lebanon war). 2. Following are the highlights of Hassan Nasrallah’s speech (Al-Manar Television, February 16):
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Assessment 3. In his speech, Hassan Nasrallah publicly admitted that Hezbollah is rebuilding its military arsenal, damaged in the war, and even claimed that it is well within its right to do so in its capacity (according to Nasrallah) as “the defender of Lebanon”. One of the central components in the rehabilitation of the military arsenal, on which Nasrallah spoke in great detail, is the renewal and replenishment of the arms and ammunition delivered to Hezbollah by Iran and Syria . The arms and ammunition, which include Katyusha rockets (which, as Nasrallah admitted, were found in the truck confiscated by the Lebanese army), are smuggled from Syria to the Beqaa Valley and, once there, secretly transported to south Lebanon (as noted by Nasrallah in his speech). Nasrallah’s arrogant language is a reflection of his increasing self-confidence and his desire to convey an uncompromising message to its opponents in Lebanon and elsewhere, according to which he will not give up his status as the “defender of Lebanon ”. 4. Nasrallah’s speech clearly demonstrates that Hezbollah systematically and fundamentally violates Security Council Resolution 1701 (August 12), in defiance of the Lebanese government and UNIFIL (and, in fact, the entire international community), which bear the responsibility to implement the resolution. According to Security Council Resolution 1701, Hezbollah and other terrorist elements must be disarmed as stipulated in the Taif Accord (1989) and in the relevant Security Council resolutions. The resolution also states that the Lebanese government, with the assistance of UNIFIL, should exercise its authority across its entire territory and, within that context, to rid south Lebanon of the presence and arms of Hezbollah and the other terrorist organizations. Likewise, the resolution forbids transporting arms to Hezbollah (and the other terrorist organizations) by land, sea, and air 2 (see Appendix). 5. Contrary to Hassan Nasrallah’s provocations regarding Hezbollah’s rearming, he did not address the assistance his organization receives from Iran and Syria, the two countries behind Hezbollah’s rehabilitation process. 3 The assistance extended by the two countries to Hezbollah is a blatant violation of Clause 15 in Security Council Resolution 1701, calling upon all countries to take the necessary measures to prevent the use of their territory or their ships and planes to provide arms, ammunition, and military equipment to unauthorized parties in Lebanon. Comparison of several clauses from Security Council Resolution 1701
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1 Referring to exchanges of fire between the Lebanese army and the IDF on the night of February 7- 8, in a region where explosive charges probably set by Hezbollah were discovered. 2 Within this context, see Information Bulletin titled: “Analysis of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to end the war and an examination of its significance (primary evaluation)” (August 13, 2006). 3 In a conversation held by Nasrallah with Dr. Sa’d al-Din Ibrahim, who opposes the Egyptian regime and heads the Ibn Khaldoun center, Nasrallah was much less cautious. The conversation was held in January 2007, during a visit held by Dr. Sa’d al-Din Ibrahim to Lebanon, in which Nasrallah was asked whether Syria and Iran would use Hezbollah to carry out their regional plans. Nasrallah’s response: “Yes, Iran assists Hezbollah since the day it was founded in 1982 in money, arms, and training, stemming from religious brotherhood and ethnic solidarity. The assistance also comes in from Syria , and everybody knows that. Hezbollah is grateful for the assistance and it would agree to receive such assistance from any Arab or Islamic party…” (Al-Hayat, February 4, 2007). |