The United Nations warned on Tuesday that any delay in Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon constitutes a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which served as the basis for the ceasefire agreement that took effect on November 27.
The Israeli military has made it clear that it will only withdraw from certain positions in southern Lebanon if there is concrete evidence that Hezbollah militants have also pulled back © TOL
The United Nations warned on Tuesday that any delay in Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon constitutes a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which served as the basis for the ceasefire agreement that took effect on November 27.
In a joint statement, the UN envoy to Lebanon and UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) stressed:
“Today marks the deadline for the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the parallel deployment of Lebanese armed forces in positions across southern Lebanon.”
“Another delay in this process is not what we had hoped for, especially as it continues to violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
However, such a statement seems almost laughable, given that since 2006, the UN has done nothing to prevent Hezbollah from transforming the border region into a heavily fortified military zone.
In this context, Israel is exercising legitimate caution. While the UN criticizes the Israeli withdrawal, it conveniently ignores Hezbollah’s entrenchment in the area, where the Iranian-backed group has stockpiled advanced weaponry and built underground military infrastructure—all in direct violation of the same Resolution 1701.
The Israeli military has made it clear that it will only withdraw from certain positions in southern Lebanon if there is concrete evidence that Hezbollah militants have also pulled back. Without such assurances, Israel risks ceding territory to an armed force that has repeatedly called for its destruction.
While the UN continues to issue empty warnings, the reality on the ground remains unchanged: Hezbollah, not Israel, is the true violator of Resolution 1701—and yet, the international community remains silent.
By Philippe Tanios
Syria's Interior Ministry announced Saturday that its counter-terrorism directorate, in cooperation with the internal security command around Damascus, had thwarted a bomb plot targeting a religious figure near a Maronite church in the Bab Touma district of the capital, and has linked the cell to Hezbollah.
As direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations are set to open in Washington on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron spent the weekend posting on X and making phone calls, to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging a ceasefire, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and a "robust and lasting diplomatic solution" for the region.
A senior Iranian source said on Saturday the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, welcoming the move as a sign of "seriousness" in reaching a deal with Washington in talks in Islamabad.
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