The US is urging for stronger enforcement of the UN resolution that concluded the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
The United States is advocating for stronger enforcement of the UN resolution that concluded the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, rather than merely reaffirming its commitment, US envoy Amos Hochstein stated during his trip to Beirut on Monday.
“Simply committing” to UN Security Council resolution 1701 “is not enough,” he remarked at a televised news conference following his meeting with Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament and leader of the Shiite Amal party allied with Hezbollah. “While resolution 1701 successfully ended the war in 2006, we must acknowledge that no one has taken action to implement it… that must change.”
For context, the resolution called for a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon, requiring Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon and stating that only the Lebanese military should maintain positions in the area between the Litani and Israel.
Hochstein emphasized that resolution 1701 remains the framework for a potential ceasefire in the current Hezbollah-Israel conflict, but it must include measures to ensure confidence in its implementation.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has repeatedly affirmed his government’s commitment to implementing the resolution by deploying additional troops from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to southern Lebanon.
US efforts are now focused on leveraging Israeli military pressure in Lebanon to achieve a “real implementation” of UN resolution 1701 and to facilitate the return of a strengthened LAF presence in the region, according to a senior US official speaking to CNN.
US special envoy in Beirut for talks with Hezbollah ally
US envoy Amos Hochstein is currently in Beirut to meet with Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament and leader of the Shiite Amal party, which is allied with Hezbollah.
