Israel to UNIFIL in South Lebanon: Your Security Cannot Be Guaranteed

Armored vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon on December 23, 2024, under a delicate ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Armored vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon on December 23, 2024, under a delicate ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Israel to UNIFIL in South Lebanon: Your Security Cannot Be Guaranteed

Armored vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon on December 23, 2024, under a delicate ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Armored vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon on December 23, 2024, under a delicate ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

The Israeli army warned the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon that their safety cannot be guaranteed in the border town of al-Taybeh.

Israeli troops have been burning and searching houses in the town in violation of the ceasefire agreement reached with Hezbollah on November 27.

Deputy Director of UNIFIL’s Media Office Candice Ardell told Lebanon’s National News Agency that “the Israeli Defense Forces informed UNIFIL that the safety of peacekeepers cannot be guaranteed in the vicinity of Taybeh, and that patrols should avoid this area.”

Ardell stressed that “the safety of peacekeepers is a top priority, and we will not do anything that exposes them to any unnecessary risk.”

The Israeli military also reminded UNIFIL of its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and guarantee their freedom of movement throughout UNIFIL's area of operations in southern Lebanon.

On Sunday morning, the Israeli army blocked the road between al-Taybeh and Deir Seryan and deployed forces there, reported the NNA.

The agency said on Saturday that the forces were searching the houses in the town and setting them on fire.

Residents of the town of al-Qantara were also forced to flee after the troops made an incursion there and burned homes.

The incursion took place as the forces carried out a sweep of neighborhoods in al-Taybeh, al-Qantara, Adshit al-Qsair and Deir Seryan.

Retired General Hassan Jouni said the warnings to UNIFIL are part of a new Israeli strategy aimed at widening its incursions in southern Lebanon.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Israeli troops managed to enter al-Taybeh after the ceasefire took effect. The troops had failed to do so twice during the war with Hezbollah, so they are effectively taking advantage of the ceasefire to make these incursions, he explained.

Once the forces enter these areas, they search for Hezbollah infrastructure and destroy them in a bid to create a buffer zone, he added.

By addressing UNIFIL, they are saying that their deployment in the South is not preventing the incursions, he remarked.

“This is a threat and a warning because UNIFIL may thwart the Israeli advance. So they may come under threat from Israel,” Jouni said.

Moreover, it appears that the Israeli forces will remain in areas they entered in the south well after the 60-day ceasefire is over, he noted.



Lebanon Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Remarks on State’s Monopoly on Arms

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lebanon Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Remarks on State’s Monopoly on Arms

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Youssef Raji, has summoned Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani to protest his criticism of recent attempts to disarm Hezbollah and limit weapons to state control.

The move, a rare diplomatic gesture, comes amid discussions on national sovereignty and external interference.

Sources at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat in remarks published Wednesday that Raji took the decision to summon Amani over statements viewed as a clear interference in internal Lebanese affairs.

The ambassador is expected to appear at the ministry within the next two days, where he will be formally notified of Lebanon’s objection to his comments.

Officials described the move as “unprecedented” because it is one of the few times a diplomat has been summoned over a social media post - specifically on X.

In the post published Friday, Amani wrote that the “disarmament project is a clear conspiracy against nations.” He went on to criticize what he described as US hypocrisy, saying: “While the United States continues to supply the Zionist entity with the latest weapons and missiles, it pressures other nations to disarm or weaken their militaries under various pretexts.”

He warned that countries that “surrender to these disarmament demands become vulnerable to attack and occupation, as happened in Iraq, Libya, and Syria.”

Amani stressed that Iran “is fully aware of this dangerous conspiracy and its threat to regional security,” calling on others not to fall into what he described as an “enemy trap.”

While the ambassador did not mention Lebanon by name, his post was widely interpreted as a direct reference to ongoing Lebanese discussions about curbing Hezbollah’s arsenal.

President Joseph Aoun has been engaged in talks with Hezbollah representatives on resolving the weapons issue.

On Sunday, Aoun confirmed that a decision had already been made to limit weapons to state institutions, saying he was waiting for the appropriate conditions to implement it. “These conditions will define the path forward.”

Hezbollah continues to openly acknowledge receiving military and financial support from Iran. However, its opponents accuse Tehran of repeatedly meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs through statements made by senior officials and diplomats.