Black smoke and flames rise from a burning warehouse, attacked by Israeli strikes, at an industrial district, in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh, Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's mission to the United Nations issued a statement, Wednesday, in response to threats from the Israeli representative regarding the potential use of force to implement Resolution 1701 in the coming weeks, insisting that Israel is the one violating the Resolution.
Official Israeli government spokesperson Elon Levy had said Tuesday that "we repeat the warning that Hezbollah must back off … or else we will be forced to push it away” during Tuesday's press briefing, adding that preferably the hostilities end “in the context of a diplomatic framework in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which renders illegal [Hezbollah’s] presence south of the Litani River.”
The statement emphasized that Israel has been the one “consistently violating Resolution 1701 since 2006, with documented land, sea, and air violations, exceeding 30,000 incidents.”
Lebanon condemned Israel's daily attacks on southern Lebanese villages, resulting in civilian deaths, displacement, and the use of prohibited weapons.
On Wednesday, a woman and child were killed by an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon, bringing the total of civilians killed since the start of the conflict to 40, and the total death toll in Lebanon to 264, according to L’Orient Today’s count.
Lebanon reiterated its commitment to “peaceful negotiations and comprehensive implementation of Resolution 1701 to safeguard its legitimate rights. Despite Lebanon's willingness to negotiate, Israel continues its threats of violence, signaling its intention to expand the conflict. Lebanon called on Israel to choose reason, logic, and peace instead of pursuing a policy of force, occupation, threats, and war.”
Lebanon urged the relevant UN bodies, especially the Security Council, to compel Israel to cease its attacks and violations of Lebanon's sovereignty. It called for negotiations through the UN to fully implement Resolution 1701, leading to Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territories, seeking a desired political solution while preserving regional peace and security.