UN Security Council to vote Thursday on UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon
Renewal would enable UNIFIL to demand that the Lebanese government widen their inspections scope and that it ups efforts to curtailing weapons smuggling by non-state actors such as Hezbollah.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA U.N peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) walks near a poster depicting Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah(photo credit: REUTERS)
The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on renewing the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Lebanon. The proposed mandate includes calling on the Lebanese government to provide the force with a wider scope in their inspections. It also includes requests to the government for increasing efforts to curtailing weapons smuggling to non-state actors, for example, Hezbollah. The proposal describes the Hezbollah tunnels exposed by Israel and the government of Lebanon is urged to "carry out all required investigations as fast as possible," a press release issued by the Israeli mission to the UN reported.Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that while Israel's interests are represented in the document, "UNIFIL is still required to take responsibility and act with decisive force within its mandate."
