In response to an Israeli drone crash in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese military claims two soldiers have died and two have been hurt.
The Israeli drone, which was downed on Thursday, reportedly exploded during an inspection of the Naqoura neighborhood, which is close to Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The military “is paying, in blood, the price of preserving stability in the south,” said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who expressed condolences to the soldiers who were killed and hurt.
Despite a November ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, Israel has been carrying out almost daily attacks on Lebanon.
A UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, which has been tasked for decades with maintaining a buffer between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces, will also be affected by a UN Security Council vote to end it.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has a mandate that runs until 2026, but the UN will conduct an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” the year after that.
The resolution aims to make Lebanon’s military “the only provider of security” in southern Lebanon, a goal that Israel’s continued presence in the region compels. The United States and Israel’s top ally, Israel, have been pressing for Israel to halt the UNIFIL mission.
According to Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, “the process of withdrawing its 10, 800 military and civilian personnel and equipment would begin right away in consultation with the Lebanese government, to be finished in a year.”
After nearly five decades, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon was unanimously chosen to end, bowing to demands from US and ally Israel. At the end of 2026, the resolution would end UNIFIL’s authority and stop operations. …
The US has also been urging Lebanon’s government to accept a Hezbollah disarmament plan, which the Lebanese organization has rejected, under the pretext that it would only serve as a reward for Israel.
US envoy Tom Barrack said Lebanon agreed to present a plan to persuade Hezbollah to disarm while Israel agreed to provide a corresponding framework for its military withdrawal from the nation on Tuesday during a trip to Beirut.
The plan, according to Barrack, will focus on efforts to persuade Hezbollah to give up its weapons rather than military coercion, is scheduled to be presented on Sunday.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated a day earlier that the Lebanese government must first ensure that Israel abides by the ceasefire before discussions can begin regarding a national defense strategy.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply