Nikki Haley: How the United States Is Stepping Up Efforts Against Hezbollah
That status quo with UNIFIL was unacceptable, so the United States refused to accept it. Last week, when the peacekeeping mission’s mandate came up for renewal, we pushed for changes to make sure UNIFIL is doing its job – and, critically, when it’s prevented from doing its job, that we know about it.Russia Threatened to Veto anti-Hezbollah Move Led by Israel and U.S. at UN
Following tense negotiations with just a day left before UNIFIL’s mandate expired, we reached agreement in the Security Council on a series of changes to how the mission will operate.
Our changes will make UNIFIL step up its patrols and inspections which will help disrupt Hezbollah’s illegal activity. UNIFIL will now enhance its visible presence on the ground and its ability to detect and deter incoming fighters and weapons.
Most importantly, our changes require UNIFIL to report when it is prevented from seeing something it wants to inspect. From now on, when the peacekeepers encounter a Hezbollah roadblock, they have to tell us the details of where, when and why they got stopped. This transparency will put an end to the ignorance about what’s really going on in southern Lebanon. When UNIFIL is prevented from doing its job, the Security Council will know about it. And if the UN refuses to act on this information, the world will know about it.
For the United States, this is a time for strength, resolve and accountability at the United Nations. That’s what our effort at strengthening UNIFIL was all about.
This is an important step, but there is much more to do. As the proxy for the outlaw Iranian regime, Hezbollah will not give up its terrorist goals. But just as Hezbollah is stepping up its efforts, the United States, and now the United Nations, are stepping up our efforts against them.
"Russia worked behind the scenes to protect Hezbollah during last week's discussions in the UN Security Council on a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, talks with Israeli officials indicated. A classified cable sent from the Israeli UN delegation to Foreign Ministry headquarters in Jerusalem reinforces that view.Hezbollah reacts to IDF drill: We are ready for any act of Israeli stupidity
Unlike in previous years, last week's decision to renew UNIFIL's mandate was not just a technical matter. Under American and Israeli pressure, several paragraphs were added to the text saying that the UN forces must increase their presence in the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and explicitly stating that UNIFIL forces have full authority to act to prevent violations of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War.
However, during the negotiations over the wording of the resolution, significant portions endorsed sought by the United States and Israel were removed, chiefly the direct reference to Hezbollah as conducting prohibited military activity in southern Lebanon that is in violation of Resolution 1701. It was Russia that ensured all mention of Hezbollah was omitted.
Two Israeli officials said that during the talks over the wording of the decision, the American delegation inserted several paragraphs relating to Hezbollah's illicit activity in southern Lebanon. One referred to the press tour that several armed Hezbollah men conducted along the Israeli border – an action that violated Resolution 1701.
The Israeli officials say the Russian diplomats who took part in the discussions about the wording of the decision opposed the American version and said that if the final version included any mention of Hezbollah, Russia would exercise its veto. Israel's UN delegation described the Russians' stance in a cable sent to the Foreign Ministry last Friday. 'The Russians watched from the side and their red line was that they would not consent to Hezbollah being named in the resolution,' said the cable.
A senior Hezbollah official taunted Israel Tuesday, saying that "we are ready for any attack or Israeli stupidity."
The official, who was quoted by several Lebanese media sources but was left unnamed, spoke out in reaction to the IDF's announcement Monday that forces have launched the largest military drill in the past twenty years in preparation for a potential war against the terror organization.
"We [Hezbollah] are fully alert and ready at any time for any possible scenario," the official was quoted as adding. He had also reportedly retorted that "The Israelis won't succeed in surprising us, because Israel knows full well [what] Hezbollah's capabilities are after the loss it suffered in 2006, which deterred the IDF."
The official had also allegedly assessed that the IDF launched "the large military drill" due to "Hezbollah's military capabilities."
Other Hezbollah associates who were also unidentified by Lebanese media were quoted as speculating that Israel is carrying out the immense drill in order to prepare to face a renewed battle. The Jewish state is going to be forced to confront an entirely different and strengthened entity than the one it faced a little over a decade ago during the Second Lebanon War, they threatened.
IDF commanders have repeatedly affirmed this claim in recent years, saying that Israel has indeed been preparing itself to contend with an enemy that no longer fights in guerrilla-style groups and has amassed a significant arsenal of weapons as well as knowledge and training.