Foreign Minister Israel Katz sent an urgent letter of complaint on Monday to the President of the UN Security Council regarding the escalation on the northern border, after Hezbollah fired on hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens.
"Yesterday, Hezbollah fired indiscriminately on the entire Haifa area in northern Israel, putting about half a million more civilians in the firing range," Katz wrote, adding that "Hezbollah's continuous attempts to attack Israel do not stop. In order to protect its population from Hezbollah's continuous attacks and threats, Israel took action last week in Beirut against Hezbollah's leadership, to thwart their plan to penetrate the Galilee and carry out terrorist attacks against Israel, similar to the Hamas attack on October 7."
He also wrote that, "Israel is not interested in an all-out war. However, we will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our citizens, in accordance with international law, as part of the ongoing confrontation against Hezbollah. Iran is the mastermind behind Hezbollah's relentless aggression against Israel since October 8. Iran is training and arming Hezbollah and its proxies, including the Houthis who are working against Israel and the international coalition. Iran is also supplying them with ballistic missiles that threaten Ukraine and Europe. The international community must increase its sanctions on Iran and define the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization."
Katz added that, “While Israel has shown remarkable restraint over the past 11 months, we will not tolerate an ongoing war of attrition that Hezbollah and its patron, Iran, are trying to impose on Israel. This Council must ensure the full implementation of resolution 1701. Hezbollah is deliberately deploying its arms inside civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, using the civilian population as a human shield."
He further stated that "over the past year, Israel has demonstrated willingness to seek a diplomatic solution with Lebanon, which would facilitate the safe return of evacuated Israeli citizens to their homes in the north, as well as the return of displaced Lebanese citizens to their villages in southern Lebanon. This diplomatic approach intends to ensure the implementation of Resolution 1701. However, Hezbollah has refused to support a political settlement, and instead ties the issue to a cease-fire in Gaza. Israel followed this attempt and will act to protect its population from Hezbollah attacks. Israel gave an early warning to citizens in Lebanon located near buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes and advised them to immediately move away from the area, for their own safety."
In conclusion, Katz wrote: "I call on the Security Council to strongly condemn the latest attack launched by Hezbollah under the guidance of its Iranian patron, and their incessant attempts to destabilize the region."
