Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah condemned a recent amendment in the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border of Lebanon with Israel.
The U.N. Security Council extended the august mandate of the UNIFIL force for a year but with a slight modification in the wording.
In a televised speech, Nasrallah took issue with a part of the resolution that states the peacekeeping force “is allowed to conduct its operations independently.”
The UNIFIL force, which was first deployed more than four decades ago, has routinely coordinated its patrols with the Lebanese Army in every operation in the south.
“This is a trap that the Israelis have set for Lebanon over many years,” Nasrallah said, calling the resolution “a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”
On September 13, UNIFIL reacted to Hezbollah’s concerns by assuring it was still working closely with the Lebanese Army.
UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack.
It was beefed up in 2006 after Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war that devasted Lebanon and its infrastructure.
The 10,500-strong force is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire between the two sides.
