UN Warned To Stop Giving Hezbollah Free Rein In Lebanon -- Or Face Consequences
15 February 2018EsinIslam And Agencies
A new warning on Iran's destabilizing behavior in Lebanon was sent to the
United Nations Secretary General and Security Council. The letter, which has
been seen by Fox News, warned of the consequences of leaving Hezbollah's
actions unchecked by the U.N.
The letter was written by Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, and was shown
to Fox News by a U.N. diplomat. It warns that continued inaction by the U.N.
and the Lebanese government will lead to Iran and its U.S. designated
terrorist organization, Hezbollah, further disrupting the region.
The two-page letter describes a recent visit by a senior Iranian official,
Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, to the Lebanese/Israeli border where he was escorted
by Hezbollah officials who were uniformed and armed — which is a blatant
violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The visit took place within a
U.N. buffer zone free of any armed personnel.
The letter refers to pictures on social media showing Raisi inspecting
Hezbollah military sites. The letter reports that he made provocative comments
about the imminent liberation of Jerusalem, and thanked Hezbollah for its
"stand against the Zionist regime."
The letter states in part, " I write, once again, to alert you and members of
the Security Council to the dangerous and destabilizing actions taken by
Hezbollah, the internationally recognized terrorist organization that serves
as an Iranian proxy in our region."
The letter continues, "This visit by Raisi and these other instances are not
only blatant violations of Security Council resolutions, but are also further
proof of Iranian attempts to destabilize our entire region. These Iranian
efforts not only threaten Israelis, but also directly endanger the citizens of
Lebanon by putting them on the frontlines where they are sure to pay a painful
price resulting from possible future escalations."
Also mentioned in the letter are other visits by senior Iran-supported Shiite
groups from Syria and Iraq, including a militia controlled by the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps. The letter makes the point that such visits seem to
support a speech given by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last summer where
he stated that the next war with Israel "could see thousands, if not hundreds
of thousands of fighters from all over the Arab and Islamic world (coming) to
participate — from Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan."
Danon emphasizes in the letter that the visit by Raisi took place in an area
controlled by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The
Israeli ambassador's letter says that while Hezbollah violations continue,
they've yet to see any response from UNIFIL. This despite the fact that the
U.N. force is obligated under U.N. resolutions to report such violations.
Danon's letter lists 356 such violations between October 2017 and December
2017.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has ratcheted up sanctions on
Hezbollah. Last week the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced
that six individuals and seven entities were put on its list. The list targets
terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
Just last year, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned of Hezbollah's growing
strength and criticized UNIFIL and its commander for not understanding the
Hezbollah threat to the region calling it "baffling."
Speaking at the Security Council, she said, "At the direction of its patron
Iran, the terrorist organization Hezbollah is stockpiling an offensive arsenal
in southern Lebanon. They have thousands of missiles and thousands of trained
fighters — all beyond the control of the Lebanese government. It is apparent
to everyone who cares to see it."
Tony Badran, a research fellow at the nonpartisan Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD) research institute in Washington D.C., told Fox News that
because of these developments the administration now needs to reassess its
Lebanon policy as it could ironically end up aiding Hezbollah.
"The Trump administration should rid itself of the fiction at the heart of the
Lebanon policy that the way to weaken Hezbollah is to build up so-called
'state institutions.' This is not an anti-Hezbollah policy. On the contrary,
it's a pro-Hezbollah policy. Strengthening a Hezbollah-controlled state is to
strengthen Hezbollah."
The Secretary General's spokesman, Farhan Haq, acknowledged to Fox News that
the Israeli ambassador's letter was received yesterday. While not commenting
on the letter he said the Secretary General, António Guterres, has full
confidence in UNIFIL: "The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon has done a great job
over the decades of maintaining a situation of peace and stability in a region
where there's a considerable amount of tension and crisis."
Put Pressure On Iran To End Support For Terror: BHRWS
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) yesterday called upon the
international community to put pressure on Iran to end that country's support
to terror groups in Bahrain.
"The Iranian regime and the terrorist Revolutionary Guards are responsible for
these acts of terror.
They're also responsible for the training, sheltering and financing of
terrorism against Bahrain," BHRWS said, referring to the arrest of suspects
involved in the terrorist attack on the Bahrain-Saudi pipeline in Buri last
November.
The human rights society demanded the international community to "bear its
responsibilities, combat the Iranian regime and impose strict sanctions on
it".
Faisal Fulad, the BHRWS General Secretary, demanded in the statement that the
political, religious, military and intelligence leaders of the Iranian regime
should be presented before the International Criminal Court.
Fulad said that the BHRWS observed with concern the the Interior ministry's
statement, which revealed that investigations' results linked the arrested to
the Iran-backed "February 14 Coalition" terrorist group.
The Interior Ministry yesterday revealed the arrest of four people in
connection with the Buri pipeline explosion yesterday.
The Society praised the efforts of the different security authorities to
protect citizens and residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain from terrorist crimes
orchestrated by Iran.
DT News reported last November that the attack on the pipeline occurred in a
highly populated area in Buri.
The fire lasted for ours causing no injuries among the residents of the
village and only damaging nearby homes and vehicles.
Civil Defence firefighters, who reached the scene in three minutes, evacuated
all residents and secured the area.
12 houses were damaged in the incident, while four shops and 28 vehicles were
also damaged because of the heat.
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