Israeli officials say UN forces in Lebanon not reporting Hezbollah actions

United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon are not fully reporting illegal Hezbollah militant actions in south Lebanon to the Security Council, Israeli government officials said Monday.

 

Israel accuses the Islamic group of violating the terms of a 2006 cease-fire that calls for Hezbollah to disarm and bars its fighters from entering a buffer zone along the Israeli border.

 

The U.N. peacekeeping force that was strengthened in the area under the cease-fire is supposed to report violations to the Security Council, but has not done so, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive diplomatic nature of the comments.

 

In one example at the end of March, U.N. forces confronted a suspicious pickup truck and armed men following it in two vehicles, the officials said. A full report on the incident was not submitted to the Security Council, the officials said.

 

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon briefly mentioned the incident in a report to the council last week, saying a U.N. patrol “encountered unidentified armed elements.” He labeled their presence a “serious violation” of the Security Council resolutions, but did not mention Hezbollah by name. He said he would give a fuller account in an upcoming report on Lebanon.

 

At the time of the incident, the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, reported that armed men in two vehicles blocked the patrol from following the truck. When the patrol challenged the armed men, they fled the scene before they could be identified, UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmina Bouziane said after the incident.

 

UNIFIL did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment on the Israeli officials” accusations. Under the U.N.-brokered cease-fire, the U.N. forces stationed in south Lebanon were beefed up to 13,500 in an effort to ensure calm in the area. They joined 15,000 Lebanese army forces who were deployed near the border to help Lebanon extend its authority to the south for the first time in decades.

 

Despite the presence of the forces, Israeli officials believe that Hezbollah has smuggled thousands of rockets and anti-tank missiles into south Lebanon since the end of the war in August 2006.

 

In 2000, Israel withdrew from a “security zone” it had occupied in south Lebanon for 18 years to prevent cross-border attacks.