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Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks

Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks
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Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks

Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun affirmed the country’s insistence on the presence of the international forces operating in the South (UNIFIL), pointing out that the Cabinet has taken a decision to “resort to the Security Council to request an extension of its mission for an additional year without modifying its mandate, concept of operations and special rules of engagement.”

Aoun was speaking during a meeting in Baabda on Wednesday with the ambassadors of the five permanent Security Council members, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Representative, Jan Kubis.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab emphasized that “the continued presence of (UNIFIL) forces in southern Lebanon is an international need.”

“The continued work of UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon is an international need, before being a Lebanese demand. The presence of these forces, according to the role assigned to them, is now necessary to prevent tension and redress any danger looming at the borders as a result of Israeli violations,” he said.

However, the Lebanese position seems to be heading towards a clash with the US Administration.

Aoun asserted that the Lebanese Constitution stipulates the respect of private properties, in reference to Washington’s request to expand UNIFIL’s scope of operations to include searching homes in southern villages and towns.

“Our adherence to it is only surpassed by our attachment to public freedoms and full Lebanese sovereignty”, Aoun remarked.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea replied by saying that the effectiveness of UNIFIL should be increased.

“We need to consider increasing the effectiveness of UNIFIL to its maximum extent and if it is not able to achieve its mandate fully, we must ask questions about whether the current number is the best,” she told the meeting.

Shea then noted that the private property could not be implemented by UNIFIL, stressing that the issue should be addressed openly and without any hesitation.

Kubis, for his part, confirmed UN readiness to assist and support Lebanon. He also underlined the consolidation and development of partnership between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.

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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)

The Israeli military has announced the formation of a special rapid response unit in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to fend off threats from Syria, when necessary.

Commander of the 210th Bashan Division Lieutenant Colonel Yair Palai said the unit would operate as an effective attack force capable to launch in seconds and prevent threats on Israel similar to the one Hamas launched on October 7, 2023.

“The Unit will be prepared 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of events,” he said.

“In the case of any security incident, the Unit will strike the enemy mercilessly. There is no possibility of failure, because this unit depends on constant vigilance,” Palai said.

The unit, which is comprised of elite soldiers from reconnaissance units and special reserve units, will operate under the 210th Division.

Sources said the unit has fully mobilized and operated continuously over the past three months.

Its goal was initially to counter Iranian, Syrian, Yemeni, Iraqi or other militias that might operate from the Golan against Jewish settlements there.

But recent developments in Syria compelled the army to prepare for any additional threats.

Last week, Syrian army soldiers were killed in a major attack by opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, who swept into the city of Aleppo in the northwest, forcing the military to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar Assad in years.

On Tuesday, Haaretz said the Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian opposition assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

If such weapons fall into the hands of the opposition fighters or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz.

The report said that after the country's civil war, Assad tried to rebuild his chemical weapons production facilities, with most having been removed from Syria under an international agreement. But a substantial part of the chemical weapons project, particularly the knowledge accumulated over the years, still remains in Assad's hands.

Haaretz wrote that Israel has relayed messages to the Syrian regime via the Russians insisting that Assad assert his sovereignty and bar Iran from operating from within Syria.

“The army is monitoring with concern the surprise Syrian rebel offensive on Assad strongholds in Syria that began last week,” it said.

Also, intelligence officials believe that while the Syrian president's standing has been weakened, Iran, with Russia's support, is exploiting the chaos in order to send in tens of thousands of fighters from the armed militias that support it.

According to Haaretz, the army's current estimate is that there are 40,000 Iranian militia fighters in Syria.

In tandem with the ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been carrying out strikes almost daily on the border between Syria and Lebanon in order to thwart attempts to smuggle weaponry destined for Hezbollah.

Although to date there is no firm evidence that the Iranian forces plan to station themselves in Damascus, the newspaper said one Israeli diplomatic official involved in the discussions referred to this on Sunday as a known fact. “Iran has begun to send an influx of forces into Syria in an attempt to aid Assad and suppress the revolt,” he said.