UN Peacekeepers Are Covering Up Hezbollah Activity Near Israeli Border

"More and more voices in Israel are saying that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has become a burden and its mission is no longer needed.

'UNIFIL was supposed to be the enforcement apparatus for Security Council Resolution 1701,' a high-placed Israeli military source said on condition of anonymity. 'But in actual fact, it has become only a fig leaf for that resolution. UNIFIL whitewashes Hezbollah activity on the 'Blue Line' [border], and serves as an excuse for Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to violate the UN resolution and ratchet up tensions along the border. We no longer need this force here any longer. Better to remain with only the coordination and liaison units, and that's all,' he added...

The confrontation between Israel and UNIFIL erupted at the beginning of the month, in the course of the June 7-9 visit of US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley to Israel. Haley, who enjoys tremendous popularity in Israel, was taken for a patrol of the northern border line between Israel and Lebanon...

Security Council Resolution 1701 ... states that Hezbollah militants are not to be south of the Litani River. Then Haley was given intelligence information that Israel had collected in the recent year. In addition, via the special observation instruments brought there, Haley was able to discern observation points erected by Hezbollah along the length of the Lebanese border, camouflaged as a green environmental organization for nature protection. At exactly this stage, the UNIFIL commander, Irish Maj. Gen. Michael Beary, arrived. Haley asked the general for his response to the information she received, and explained to him that she saw with her own eyes how Hezbollah militants are clearly present south of the Litani - areas where the Security Council resolution forbids them to have a presence. And UNIFIL is the body that is supposed to enforce this resolution. The general denied the information...

'We have a terrible crisis with UNIFIL,' a senior IDF officer told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. 'Now, when the word is out and the whole world has seen the pictures, it will be impossible to deny Hezbollah's violations any longer. Unfortunately, UNIFIL assists Hezbollah in whitewashing the truth. Under the current state of affairs, there is no point for UNIFIL battalions to remain on the scene. They cause more harm than good. They do what Hezbollah tells them to do. They don't dare raise their heads and carry out their duties, so the appropriate thing now is for them to vacate the premises.' Several days later, the UN denied the Israeli information; this only served to heighten the distrust between the sides..."