Lebanon urges ‘comprehensive package’ to implement UN Resolution 1701

BEIRUT (AA) – Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib has urged a “comprehensive package” to implement UN Resolution 1701, including Israel’s withdrawal from occupied areas in Lebanon and the cessation of ground, maritime and aerial violations, according to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry.

Habib emphasized that there can be “no comprehensive peace without the Palestinians,” during a meeting with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, in Berlin.

He pointed out that the “Arab Peace Initiative adopted at the 2002 Beirut Summit, based on the principle of establishing an independent Palestinian state, is the key to peace and stability in our region.”

Habib expressed gratitude to German authorities for their support to Lebanon and contribution to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL.

On August 11, 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, which calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.

From 2006 until October 2023, the southern borders have witnessed significant stability despite occasional breaches. Hezbollah has not openly demonstrated a military presence, although there have been discussions about tunnels and hideouts.

However, since Israel’s launch of the devastating war on Gaza, Hezbollah has also become involved in shelling Israeli military sites on the border with Lebanon. Israel has responded aggressively in southern towns, raising concerns about the possibility of a “comprehensive war” between the two countries.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant threatened on December 6 to push Hezbollah beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon, “either through an international political arrangement or through military action based on UN Resolution 1701.”

In solidarity with Gaza which is under an unprecedented Israeli air and ground attack, Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon have been exchanging daily shelling with the Israeli army since October 8.