UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
צילום: AFP
UN envoy: Israel-Lebanon border remains calm
Special envoy to Beirut says rhetoric between two countries sparking fears of renewed conflict
A recent wave of bellicose rhetoric between Israel and Lebanon has fuelled fears the two hostile neighbors could be headed for another conflict, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon said on Friday.
Exchanges of threats between Israel and neighbouring Lebanon "have generated concerns of a renewed confrontation," Michael Williams told reporters after briefing the 15-nation Security Council on compliance with resolution 1701, which called for an end to Israel's war against Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.
"This rhetoric and brinkmanship contravenes the very spirit of 1701 and is utterly unhelpful," he said. "I have called, and still call, on all relevant parties to desist from inflammatory statements."
Williams said that Israeli and Lebanese officials have told him privately that they remain committed to peace.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this year that Israel was not planning any imminent attack on Lebanon, from where Hezbollah launched some 4,000 rockets at it during a 34-day war in 2006.
Williams said that although situation along the "blue line", the UN-monitored border between Israel and Lebanon, remained calm, there were continued apparent violations of resolution 1701 by Israelis and Lebanese.
He said Israel was guilty of regular intrusions into Lebanese airspace and needed to stop them. "These violations raise tensions and may trigger an incident that I remain convinced the parties do not want," he said.
Lebanon, Williams said, needed to look into its side's violations of a UN arms embargo. Israeli and other Western officials say Hezbollah continues to receive illegal arms shipments from Syria and Iran.
