Israel Provides Evidence Hezbollah Operates Near UN Posts

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed evidence Sunday that showed the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror organization operating near United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) posts, using them as human shields.

The IDF has come under criticism internationally, including from the United States, for recent incidents in which UNIFIL “peacekeeping” soldiers have been injured during Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions. Critics of Israel accuse the IDF of deliberately targeting UNIFIL; the IDF has countered that Hezbollah terrorists have deliberately placed UNIFIL soldiers in harm’s way and that the IDF communicates with, and warns, UNIFIL about danger.

Israel has been warning since August — weeks before the conflict intensified — that Hezbollah was using UNIFIL as a human shield, with Israel’s United Nations ambassador, Danny Danon, showing specific maps to make his case.

The IDF released a drone video, photos, and maps showing Hezbollah weapons or attacks near UN positions in southern Lebanon.

Itay Blumental, a military correspondent for Israel’s Channel 11, posted an even more damning video from southern Lebanon, showing an apparent Hezbollah terror tunnel next to a UNIFIL base:

In a statement, the IDF said:

Over the past month, approximately 25 rockets and missiles have been launched at Israeli communities and IDF troops from Hezbollah’s terrorist compounds embedded near UNIFIL posts in southern Lebanon, exploiting their proximity to UN forces. One of the attacks resulted in the deaths of two IDF soldiers.

Hezbollah uses compounds located above and below ground to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.

During the IDF’s limited, localized, targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence in southern Lebanon, the troops of the 146th Division located hundreds of weapons, including firearms, grenades, and rocket launchers aimed at Israeli territory. These weapons were stored inside underground compounds located from a few dozen meters up to a few hundred meters from UNIFIL posts situated near the Blue Line.

UNIFIL in southern Lebanon was deployed to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and prevent the presence of Hezbollah armed operatives south of the Litani River. However, both the State of Lebanon and the international community have failed to implement Resolution 1701, despite repeated requests to do so.

For years, Hezbollah has embedded itself in southern Lebanon in grave violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The organization has stockpiled large quantities of weapons aimed at Israeli civilians over the years and has deliberately built up its attack infrastructure near UNIFIL posts.

The IDF’s targeted raids are only directed against Hezbollah, and the troops’ activities are not directed at UNIFIL posts, forces, or infrastructure. On Thursday, September 30th, prior to the start of the operation, IDF representatives submitted a request to the organization to move its personnel away from posts located within five kilometers of the Blue Line, as this area would become an active combat zone.

The IDF maintains continuous communication with UNIFIL to avoid, as much as possible, any harm to UNIFIL personnel in the area and will continue to do so, despite the complexities of the UNIFIL’s presence inside the combat zone.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer described UNIFIL on Monday as “an utter failure since 2006,” the year that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was passed, which requires the withdrawal of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked UNIFIL to leave southern Lebanon, but it has refused thus far. Mencer commented in that regard that “UNIFIL’s refusal to redeploy endangers both the UN and Israeli soldiers.”

“Our battle is not against UNIFIL. … UNIFIL had a key role after the end of the 2006 war,” he added, noting that it was meant to remove Hezbollah and its weapons. “It’s clear that in that function, UNIFIL has failed miserably.”

“Certainly we want to keep them out of harm’s way,” he added, though UNIFIL had failed at peacekeeping.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

Photo: file