Israeli officials on Tuesday told U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, that the administration should condition any American aid to Lebanon on restrictions being put on the Iran backed Hezbollah terror group.
Thomas-Greenfield is on her first official visit.
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U.S. envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield is greeted by Deputy Chief of Staff Herzl "Herzi" Halevi
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The ambassador on Tuesday toured Israel's northern and southern borders with members of the defense establishment, accompanied by Israel's envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan.
Israel has requested that Hezbollah be removed from its northern frontier, that the Lebanese army act to stop the groups' precise missile production efforts and that weapons supplied to the it from Iran via Syria, be prevented from crossing into Lebanon.
The Israeli officials also voiced their concerns that if the U.S. was to provide the Lebanon army with weapons, they might find their way into Hezbollah's hands and be used against Israel.
They also requested that the Ambassador intervene in efforts by the UN peace keeping force in South Lebanon – UNIFIL, to increase their oversight over areas under Hezbollah's control in the south of the country. Hezbollah appears to Israel to have been operating unimpeded in the area.
Thomas -Greenfield was told by the officials that stability in Lebanon is clearly in Israel's interest and that ongoing negotiations over a maritime border between the two countries are an opportunity to strengthen Lebanon's economy and bolster regional stability.
The Ambassador toured the Palmachim Air Force base where she was shown the Iron Dome missile defense system. She then visited the border with Gaza before traveling to the north to tour the border with Lebanon.
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Linda Thomas-Greenfield with Gilad Erdan at the Palmachim airbase where they were shown the Iron Dome missile defense system on Tuesday
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
In the north, she was shown an attack tunnel dug by the Lebanese terror group for the purpose of infiltrating into Israeli territory and was briefed by local IDF commanders on Hezbollah's increasing military strength and on Iranian interventions in the area.
Speaking after the tour, Erdan said the Ambassador's visit was important and enabled her to learn first-hand about the security situation on the ground.
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U.S. envoy to the UN with Gilad Erdan and IDF officers on Tuesday
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"We are working together to block anti-Israeli initiatives in the UN," Erdan said. "Today Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield was able to see how close the terrorist group, which is a proxy of Iran - is to our border and will be able to relate what she has seen, to the UN Security Council," he said.