In his latest report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 for the period between Oct. 21, 2024, and Feb. 20, 2025, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an unequivocal observation: 1701 continues to face persistent challenges along the Blue Line in south Lebanon, despite progress in recent months. The report covered the end of the period of clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, marked by violent Israeli strikes on south Lebanon, Bekaa, the southern suburbs of Beirut and other regions, as well as mortar fire and drone attacks by Hezbollah on Israeli territory.

Guterres stated in his report the importance for the belligerents to refrain from “unilateral and provocative actions,” insisting on the importance of reaching a permanent cease-fire.

The U.N. Security Council will meet in closed consultations on Monday, March 17, to review the implementation of 1701, adopted in 2006 to establish a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Council members will hear briefings from the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who recently held talks with Lebanese and Israeli authorities, as well as from the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

More than 14,000 Israeli strikes

In his text, the U.N. chief said that the violent clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, “in violation of Resolution 1701,” have caused heavy human losses, massive population displacements and considerable destruction in infrastructure on both sides of the Blue Line. More than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon in Israeli strikes.

“Residential areas, civilian infrastructure, and agricultural lands have been massively damaged or destroyed by Israeli operations,” the document stated. A World Bank report published on March 7 estimates the reconstruction needs at $11 billion.

The report further detailed the scale of the fighting in the operational area of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) before the cease-fire came into effect. “From Oct. 21 to Nov. 26, UNIFIL recorded 2,182 projectiles fired from Lebanon and 14,172 from Israel, along with 633 airstrikes” by the Israeli army, the document indicates. The Israeli airstrikes destroyed Hezbollah’s infrastructure, while the latter conducted deep attacks on Israeli territory, including a strike against a naval base in Ashdod on Nov. 24, the report further specifies.

More than 100 positions retaken south of the Litani

However, since the cease-fire came into effect on Nov. 27, the Lebanese army began its deployment south of the Litani, as outlined in the cease-fire agreement, and retook more than 100 positions by Feb. 20, 2025, the U.N. chief salutes. The army “has started dismantling military infrastructures and confiscating weapons purportedly belonging to Hezbollah south of the Litani,” the text said.

The secretary-general also welcomed the election of President Joseph Aoun and the formation of a new government led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

“An atmosphere of opportunity and hope is palpable,” he underlined during his visit to Lebanon in January.

Armed groups vs. five Israeli positions

Guterres, however, noted the challenges of the persistent presence of Hezbollah and other armed groups in the southern zone of Lebanon.

“The exchanges of fire have demonstrated that Hezbollah and other armed groups possess weapons outside the state's authority in the area between the Litani River and the Blue Line,” said Guterres, adding that this situation constituted a violation of Resolutions 1701 and 1559 (2004). In parallel, he said the continued presence of the Israeli army in five positions north of the Blue Line, while the cease-fire agreement provides for a “gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces south of the Blue Line,” and the establishment of buffer zones in Lebanese territory.

Although the cease-fire brought provisional relief, the report highlights the fragility of the situation. The secretary-general called on both parties to “refrain from any unilateral or provocative action” and urged the international community to strengthen its support for the Lebanese army.

“It is in both parties' interest that the army can reaffirm and consolidate its authority and that of the Lebanese state over its entire territory,” he stated, adding that a permanent cease-fire remains the ultimate goal.

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.