Israel Matzav

Blame UNIFIL for the next war in Lebanon

When there's another war in Lebanon, UNIFIL will be to blame - but only partly.

UNIFIL's fecklessness became increasingly clear when Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made several open declarations from 2006 about his organization's acquisition of new medium- and long-range missiles. Indeed, Hezbollah boasted of acquiring about 35,000 rockets and missiles as of 2007 (up from 10,000 before the war in 2006).

Thus, Hezbollah received - via Syria and Iran - thousands of weapons in breach of U.N.S.C.R. 1701. UNIFIL issued no statements. It did not launch an investigation. It simply sat back and allowed the Iranian-backed terrorist group to rearm.

This brings us to April of this year. After Israel publicly warned about Syrian Scuds in Hezbollah's hands, a UNIFIL official declared there were no Scud missiles sent to Lebanon. "We have around 12,000 soldiers and three Lebanese army brigades in a small area. We haven't seen a thing," UNIFIL Commander Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas declared.

This reckless statement by a commander of U.N. forces is outrageous. It is even more outrageous considering that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen were complaining about the Hezbollah buildup just as UNIFIL bureaucrats were covering for Hezbollah.

Then there's the statement itself. Gen. Cuevas admits that his forces only operate in a "small area." How, then, can he verify that no Syrian missiles entered Lebanon? Indeed, UNIFIL is deployed only in the southern districts of Lebanon, while the entire Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon - the area where most of the weapons transfers are known to take place - are beyond UNIFIL's control.

While Gen. Cuevas says he "hasn't seen a thing," Hassan Nasrallah confirms that he has received thousands of missiles so far. In this way, UNIFIL is facilitating a Hezbollah buildup.

Well, yes. But the fools who agreed to UNIFIL's presence under the terms of Resolution 1701 are to blame too. Aren't they?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:35 PM