UNIFIL on the Lebanon-Israel border
UNIFIL on the Lebanon-Israel borderDavid Cohen/Flash 90

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon addressed the United Nations Security Council in an urgent letter calling on the council to ensure that UNIFIL actually enforces the ceasefire with Lebanon and does not permit massive Hezbollah violations of the agreement as it did from 2006-2024.

Danon wrote, "Israel is committed to the implementation of the Ceasefire Understandings with Lebanon. It is important to note that before the recent hostilities that erupted on October 8th, 2023 as a result of unprovoked attacks by Hezbollah from Lebanon, one day after Hamas’ massacre, invasion and atrocities on October 7, Israel alerted this esteemed Council for years on the severe breaches of Resolution 1701 and the ensuing risks posed to regional security. Israel has sounded the alarm bells in consistent letters and briefings, alerting that Hezbollah is building a massive military infrastructure south of the Litani River and beyond, that advanced weapon systems are being smuggled from Iran into Lebanon in flagrant breach of UNSCR 1701, but unfortunately no action was taken. Along the years, we urged UNIFIL to act according to its mandate and reflect accurately this alarming situation in its reports, to no avail."

He noted, "We understood now first-hand the severe repercussions of this inaction by the UN for Israel, as over 22,000 rockets, over 1,500 anti-tank missiles and over 700 drones were fired by Hezbollah at Israeli communities throughout the war, forcing over 63,000 Israeli civilians to evacuate their homes for more than a year, up till today."

"I call on the Security Council to ensure that UNIFIL work in a much more robust and effective way to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the recent ceasefire understandings…and to insist that all terrorist infrastructure present in Lebanon is removed and to make sure any attempt to smuggle arms to Hezbollah is thwarted," he said.

The Ambassador emphasized, "Israel will not compromise on the security of its citizens. We will not return to the years before October 8, 2023, and we will not tolerate Hezbollah's violations of the ceasefire agreement."