Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan sent a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres protesting the Lebanese government's release of four Hezbollah terrorists who fired rockets at Israel earlier this month.
"As you recall, on August 6th, Hezbollah fired from within civilian areas a barrage of 19 rockets into northern Israel. This attack came only two days after the terrorist organization had fired three (3) rockets at Israel. Following the attacks, the four (4) Hezbollah terrorists responsible for firing the missiles were apprehended in an adjacent village and handed over to Lebanese authorities. It should be noted that they were found carrying 12 additional rockets that had yet to be fired. Astonishingly, however, all four of these terrorists - who had violated Israeli sovereignty and targeted Israeli civilians, in brazen violation of UNSCR 1701 and international law - were released on the instruction of the Lebanese Deputy Attorney General within 24 hours of being detained," Erdan wrote.
The ambassador added: "The release of the four terrorists clearly smacks of politics, and underlines the extent of Iran’s and its proxy, Hezbollah’s, domination of local government and power in Lebanon. Moreover, such an act of impunity serves only to encourage further attacks on Israel, severely endangering regional stability and civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. In this context, it is important to recall that these types of attacks – perpetrated from within populated areas using local Lebanese residents as human shields – imperil not only Israel and Israelis, but Lebanese civilians as well."
"The Lebanese Government’s abrogation of its authority in this and other incidents and its allowance of Hezbollah to have free reign over southern Lebanon is of particular concern as we approach discussions on the annual renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate. Lebanon’s complete inaction is in total violation of UNSCR 1701. The Lebanese Government must fully uphold its international obligations and prevent such attacks from taking place on Lebanese soil. And when such attacks are perpetrated, we demand no less than full accountability," he wrote.
"I call upon the Security Council once again to condemn these grave violations unequivocally, and to denounce in no uncertain terms the Lebanese Government’s lack of action in this matter, in violation of its international obligations and in complicity with Iran and Hezbollah. Furthermore, I ask that the Security Council remain seized of these matters in its upcoming deliberations on Security Council Resolution 1701. It is paramount for the security of the region that the Security Council address in a meaningful way how to ensure the effective enforcement of UNSCR 1701 on the ground, and prevent Iranian and Hezbollah hegemony in southern Lebanon. Moreover, it is imperative that the latest attacks and the Lebanese Government’s utter failure to prevent them -- not to mention Lebanon’s subsequent failure to take concrete action against the perpetrators -- be faithfully reflected in the Secretary-General’s reports on the implementation of Resolution 1701," Erdan concluded,