Lebanon Wants to Stop Hezbollah-Israel Escalation with UN Resolution
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Alaina
- . December 22, 2023
- . Update: December 22, 2023 10:40 pm
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Beirut of Gaza-like consequences, Lebanon has upped efforts to reign in Hezbollah. Lebanon wants to help end the Iran-backed militant group’s cross-border attacks on Israel by implementing a UN resolution.
Spotlight is now on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. It had armed personnel removed from south of Lebanon’s Litani River. However, Hezbollah has established a strong foothold for decades across much of southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the solution to the current cross-border hostilities is in the implementation of international resolutions. “We are totally ready to commit to their implementation, on condition the Israeli side does the same, and withdraws according to the international laws and resolutions from occupied territory.”
Israel Puts Diplomacy or Force to Hezbollah
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel does not want a war, adding that if Hezbollah wants to go up a level, IDF will go up five. “We don’t want that, we don’t want to get into a war situation. We want to restore peace and we will do it either through an agreement, or with forceful action, with all its implications. We don’t want war, but we won’t hold it off for too long.”
Eli Cohen, Israeli Foreign Minister, said their priority is ensuring the security of Israelis near the border and this means pushing Hezbollah north of the Litani River, which is about 30 km north of the frontier. He pointed out that there are too ways to achieve that, either by diplomacy or by force.
Moreover, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Lebanon that if Hezbollah decided to engage in an all-out war against Israel, it would be responsible for turning Beirut and South Lebanon into Gaza and Khan Younis.
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Hezbollah-Israel Attacks Escalate
Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israel have stepped up attacks, with the latter targeting civilians in Lebanon and the militant group launching incendiary missiles for the first time since the conflict began. Reports say violent Israeli airstrikes targeted the Bouslayia area close to the southern Mount Lebanon border for the first time.
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flew low altitude over Lebanese areas. Hezbollah fired incendiary rockets in retaliation to the Israeli burning of Al-Raheb forest.
