At UN, Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rebuild with Iran’s help

Lebanon’s Hezbollah is trying “to regain strength and rearm with the assistance of Iran,” Israel’s UN ambassador tells the Security Council, declaring that the terror group remains a “serious threat” to Israel and regional stability.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a US-brokered 60-day ceasefire – starting Nov. 27 – after more than a year of conflict. The terms require the Lebanese army to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the deal.
“While Hezbollah’s military capabilities were significantly reduced during the war, they are now attempting to regain strength and rearm with the assistance of Iran,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon writes to the 15-member Security Council.
Hezbollah and Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Danon’s remarks. A senior Lebanese source close to Hezbollah denies the allegations.
Danon says it was “imperative” that the Lebanese government and international community focus on “curbing the smuggling of weapons, ammunition and financial support through the Syria-Lebanon border and via air and sea routes.”
Since the ceasefire deal was reached, “there have been several attempts to transfer weapons and cash to Hezbollah,” Danon writes in the letter seen by Reuters. He says Hezbollah’s ongoing military build-up was at times close to UN peacekeeping bases and patrols in southern Lebanon.
“Despite this, UNIFIL chose to interpret its mandate leniently, opting not to take all necessary action to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind,” Danon writes.