Will USIsraeli pressure on Hezbollah work
Will US-Israeli pressure on Hezbollah work?
BEIRUT – Israel has violated the terms of the truce since the declaration of the 60-day ceasefire with Lebanon by launching 816 land and air attacks.
For the first time since the 2006 war, the Israeli occupation regime invaded Wadi al-Hujayr, prompting citizens to flee in fear of the regime’s incursion. The Israeli Merkava tanks, bulldozers and military vehicles razed various fields, roadsides and a number of agricultural tents and kiosks.
In the meantime, Hebrew media quoted Israeli officials as stating that the withdrawal from southern Lebanon “may take place at a slower pace than expected”. This raises concerns about how the enemy will behave after the passage of the 60-day ceasefire.
Other reports claimed Tel Aviv’s insistence on implementing the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Yet, the regime is deliberately destroying border villages after it has won “secret guarantees” from Washington that would allow it to occupy southern territories and “act freely against anything it deems a threat.”
Besides, Haaretz revealed that the Israeli army is preparing “for the possibility of continuing its deployment in southern Lebanon after the end of the 60-day period in the event that the Lebanese army does not abide by the agreement and does not extend its full control over southern Lebanon.” It added that it is working to “build a barrier south of the border line” inside the Lebanese territory.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, held a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun; his fellow Commander of the South Litani Sector Brigadier General Edgar Lowndes; UNIFIL Commander General Araldo Lazaro; American chairman of the Five-Party Monitoring Committee for implementing the ceasefire agreement General Jasper Jeffers; and the French member of the committee General Guillaume Ponchamp.
The meeting discussed the Israeli violations and the need to stop them and accelerate the withdrawal from the south.
In turn, the Lebanese mission to the United Nations filed a complaint to the Security Council in protest against the repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli regime. The complaint is titled “Declaration of Cessation of Hostilities and Related Obligations to Enhanced Security Arrangements for the Implementation of Resolution 1701.”
Following a request from the Lebanese leaders, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, to protest the ongoing Israeli ceasefire violations, American envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to visit Beirut at the beginning of the new year to hold talks on the work of the oversight committee, as he has the status of the civilian chairman of the committee.
In this context, observers are concerned that the US, which pressed for a ceasefire, is not pressuring the Israeli side in return to withdraw from the Lebanese areas it has occupied, as it considers the opportunity ripe to complete the restrictions on Hezbollah, especially after what happened in Syria.
They further confirm Washington’s direct interference in the reconstruction project by monitoring the construction companies that will enter the south. Sources stated that Hochstein will pressure the Lebanese government to assume “responsibility for the reconstruction file, and reject any role for Iran, whether through Iranian companies or aid,” and will also stress the need for the Lebanese state to prevent “the liquidation of cash dollars from any outlet, otherwise there will be dire consequences.”
This may be read that Washington will link the reconstruction file contingent upon the Lebanese government’s approval of its conditions otherwise it will obstruct the election of a president and the formation of a new government. What is more severe is that financial support has been linked to the implementation of UN Resolution 1559 and the disarmament of Hezbollah in all of Lebanon, not just in the area south of the Litani River.
In parallel, the Lebanese government informed the Iranian side of “Lebanon’s apology for not receiving any Iranian financial or in-kind support related to the reconstruction file” and asked the Iranian side to go to the World Bank to finance reconstruction programs for what was destroyed by Israel.
In the meantime, the US embassy in Beirut, in cooperation with the Lebanese media (that receives direct funding from it) has launched a campaign claiming that Hezbollah is unable to provide the necessary funds for restoration or shelter work, in addition to fabricating news about the Al-Qard Al-Hassan (a legal banking institution run by Hezbollah).
source: tehrantimes.com