(Tablet) Lt.-Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi - Friction between IDF soldiers and Hizbullah operatives, considered unusual a few years ago, now happens daily. I see Hizbullah's men every day as I tour the border, though they don't usually wear uniforms. Sometimes I see them patrolling in a long column along the fence. Sometimes they pop up from observation posts with binoculars and cameras. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Lebanon war in 2006, called for "the establishment between the Blue Line [border] and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL [the UN Interim Force in Lebanon]." Alarmingly, in recent months, Hizbullah appears to have moved UNIFIL away from the border and positioned itself directly facing Israel, building some 20 positions along the border. Armed military operatives belonging to Hizbullah's military units man these positions around the clock. Some belong to Hizbullah's commando units, the Radwan Brigades. On social networks, Hizbullah is waging a campaign to "rally the troops," preparing them for war with clear threats against Israel. The writer is president and founder of the Alma Research and Education Center.
2022-09-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive