Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., July 19, 2009 Tamuz 27, 5769 | | Israel Time: 20:48 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Maccabiah Travel Week's End Anglo File
Share |
Last update - 00:46 01/01/2009
Israel: Lebanon Army helped Hezbollah hide arms cache
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: israel news, United Nations 

The Lebanese Army helped Hezbollah militants destroy evidence of its continued military activity in the south of the country after a hidden arms cache exploded there earlier this week, Israel's envoy to the United Nations has charged in an official complaint.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Gabriela Shalev described the abandoned building in which the explosion took place as "an arms cache that consisted of Hezbollah arms, including rockets, mortars, artillery shells, grenades, and additional ammunition which had been brought to the area following the Second Lebanon War."

According to Shalev, the incident proves that Hezbollah has been acting in violation of UN Resolution 1701, which called for a cease-fire in southern Lebanon after the 2006 conflict.
Advertisement

"This recent explosion is a glaring example of Hezbollah's use of civilian infrastructure," Shalev wrote. "With more than 20,000 rockets in its possession south of the Litani River, Hezbollah gravely endangers the local Lebanese civilian population by turning their houses into military bunkers and storages."

According to Shalev, this incident was one of a number of similar instances in which Hezbollah has violated the cease-fire agreement, which calls for the complete absence of weapons and non-UNIFIL military in the zone between the blue line and the Litani River, and kept its arsenal intact. In her letter to Ban, she cited similar instances as having occurred in March 2008 and January 2009.

"Unfortunately, such obstruction is not an isolated incident and reflects a pattern in which Hezbollah uses various means - including so-called 'civilians' - in order to prevent UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces from fulfilling their mandate," she wrote.

Following the explosion, Shalev wrote, UNIFIL forces were delayed by Lebanese troops to enable Hezbollah to rid the area of evidence. This assistance, said Shalev, has made the violations "all the more severe because an official organ of the Lebanese state - the Lebanese Army - delayed UNIFIL from fulfilling its obligations. As such, this obstruction of movement must be denounced in very clear and robust terms."

"All of these flagrant violations of resolution 1701 - inter alia, the arms smuggling and the obstruction of movement of UNIFIL forces - must be denounced and addressed in clear and unambiguous terms by the international community," wrote Shalev.

Related articles:
  • Explosions rock Hezbollah arms depot near Israel border
  • UN: South Lebanon arms cache a serious violation
    • PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
    Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Hamas film premiere
    The group's first feature - an action-packed homage to a top militant - opens in Gaza.
    Clip controversy
    Did Cellcom steal the idea for its ad showing soldiers playing soccer at West Bank fence?
      1.   Lebanon army is non-entity 15:59  |  mehmet 17/07/09
      2.   Upgrade 1701 to a higher chapter 16:15  |  Joseph .E 17/07/09
      3.   Evidence gathered how? 16:19  |  Michael 17/07/09
      4.   what good is the UN? 16:21  |  ivk 17/07/09
      5.   The Government of Lebanon Permits the Weapons 16:35  |  Bernie 17/07/09
      6.   proof of israeli failure 16:41  |  joe 17/07/09
      7.   Want to have this in the West Bank too? 18:16  |  IW 17/07/09
      8.   RE: what good is the UN? 18:22  |  Bruno 17/07/09
      9.   The UN turns a blind eye thus protecting Hezbollah 18:32  |  Jason 17/07/09
      10.   :: What this article doesn`t say is... 18:33  |  Matty Groves 17/07/09
      11.   UN Resolution 1701? 18:35  |  Lebanese Forever 17/07/09
      12.   Lebanon air space is violated on daily basis 18:41  |  Paul 17/07/09
      13.   bernie #5 -- not what 1701 says 19:03  |  passerby 17/07/09
      14.   Lebaese For short time 20:48  |  Tamir G 17/07/09
      15.   What`s next? 20:52  |  ILias 17/07/09
      16.   JESUSALEN 20:57  |  JESUSALEN 17/07/09
      17.   Looks like Israel is trying 20:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 17/07/09
      18.   Mehmet and the Minister`s Tea Party 21:12  |  Walid 17/07/09
      19.   passerby 21:27  |  ben 17/07/09
      20.   Lebanon helped Hezbollah 21:31  |  The Teacher/Instruct 17/07/09
      21.   TO: #12 Paul 21:45  |  Good 17/07/09
      22.   bruno 22:18  |  vik 17/07/09
      23.   Paul 22:21  |  vik 17/07/09
      24.   Hezbollah has a right to self-defense 22:35  |  Jaap 17/07/09
      25.   Duh. Lebanese army is Hezballah 22:54  |  Cynic 17/07/09
      26.   The poor, defenseless Arabs, being "violated"! 22:55  |  IW 17/07/09
      27.   Un Res 1701 01:07  |  Bert 18/07/09
      28.   #10 Matty Groves - IAF has to overfly 02:15  |  Ibn Musa 18/07/09
      29.   @ Bruno 02:35  |  Roscoe 18/07/09
      30.   #19 Jaap - I love your revisionist version of History 03:00  |  Ibn Musa 18/07/09
      31.   Be! I Have No Idea What Your Wrote. Try punctuating In The Future 03:00  |  Eli 18/07/09
      32.   @Jaap 03:01  |  Roscoe 18/07/09
      33.   #10 Matty Groves - Of course there are Overflights 03:02  |  Ibn Musa 18/07/09
      34.   Not a single ME country respects UN resolutions 05:07  |  Marcel 18/07/09
      35.   Isael:lebanon Army helped hezbollah hide arms cache 06:38  |  hippie22 18/07/09
      36.   Middle East blowback 07:53  |  Capt Black 18/07/09
      37.   what a Hypocrate. Israel violate 1701 every day 08:54  |  gus 18/07/09
      38.   Israel can pretend to be surprised 11:44  |  Chris Linthwaite 18/07/09
      39.   #19 jaap 12:27  |  Dionysus 18/07/09
      40.   Hezbollah is not a state, or is it? 12:41  |  US CITIZEN 18/07/09
      41.   gus plays victim trying to hide aggressor behind th wall of tears 23:47  |  Marcel 18/07/09
      42.   gus trying to hide aggressor behind the wall of tears 08:37  |  Marcel 19/07/09
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    hotel Jerusalem
    David Citadel Hotel, come stay at the finest of Jerusalem hotels.
    ISRAEL ARMY SURPLUS STORE
    IDF insignia,Uniforms, Paladium Boots Watches, Israel Army T-shirts & Collectibles
    Dead Sea Skin Care
    Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    More Headlines
    17:32 Officials: U.S. Defense Secretary to visit Israel
    15:30 Shin Bet: Qatar sheikh funding Hamas activities in Jerusalem
    11:17 Netanyahu: Israel rule over Jerusalem not up for discussion
    20:15 Braverman to Lieberman: Nakba bill sullies Israel's image
    20:33 Jerusalem woman suspected of starving son skips psychiatric test
    19:15 Ahmadinejad under fire in Iran for picking 'friend of Israel' VP
    18:16 Could Jerusalemite solve Rosa Luxemburg corpse mystery?
    00:15 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel
    11:52 Jerusalem court convicts 'Taliban mother' of child abuse
    20:43 U.S. military names soldier captured in Afghanistan
    20:02 Two ex-cops suspected of passing classified information to mob
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
    | Israel 2009 election results | Makom: Engaging on Israel
    | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved