WASHINGTON – Israel's claims that the Hizbullah is
rearming and building new military infrastructure in the areas north and south of the Litani River have been found to be unsubstantiated, a United Nations report says.
The report, complied by the UN commission tasked with monitoring the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which effectively ended the Second Lebanon War,
did state that for the first time in the last few years, the UN forces inspecting the area were interrupted by gunmen.
The report made no mention of Hizbullah's systematic disruptions to the routine operation of UNIFIL forces present in Southern Lebanon.
Sources in UN headquarters said Tuesday that the members of the UN Security Council were aware of the real situation on the ground, but noted that the Security Council has to act in line with the reports submitted to it.
The UNIFIL forces stationed in Lebanon, under the command of Italy's Major-General Claudio Graziano, have yet to report any Hizbullah efforts to arm itself, thus preventing the UN Security Council from taking any action.
Moreover, several Security Council members are also part of the UNIFIL force currently deployed in Lebanon – and therefore are unable to rate their performance on the ground.
A UN source told Ynet in response to the report that several incidents which have taken place in recent weeks prove that southern Lebanon is not free of arms. The source said everyone is aware of this reality, yet the UN cannot admit that Israel's claims are true, as this would show the UN has failed.
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