UN chief affirms support for Lebanon peacekeeping commander

NEW YORK — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is welcoming the extension of a longtime peacekeeping operation in Lebanon — and reiterating support for a commander who drew US criticism.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement Thursday that the peacekeeping mission will keep enhancing its operations and Guterres has confidence in its leadership and staff.

The Security Council renewed the mission known as UNIFIL on Wednesday, with new instructions for more patrols with Lebanese forces and detailed reports when peacekeepers run into roadblocks in Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon. The US and Israel pushed for the changes, saying UNIFIL wasn’t doing enough to stop a Hezbollah buildup of illegal weapons.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley also said UNIFIL’s commander was blind to the problem. The commander said he had no evidence it was happening.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said that it was commending the UN Security Council’s decision to renew the mandate of UNIFIL.

“The importance of the decision is in the call to UNIFIL to act in a significant and substantive way in order to prevent the strengthening of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon,” a statement from the ministry said.

Israel was grateful to the US and to the Trump administration for their leadership and extends a special thank you to Haley “for her determination and commitment to fight terrorism and improve the situation in southern Lebanon and for her friendship towards Israel,” the statement quoted by the Walla news website said.

The statement also referred to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who visited Israel earlier this week.

“We expect that after the letter the secretary-general sent regarding UNIFIL, he will know how to use the tools given by this week’s resolution so that he can continue imbuing the determination and spirit of action among the soldiers of the UNIFIL force,” the statement said.

Last week, Haley said UNIFIL was “not doing its job effectively” and singled out its Irish leader, Major General Michael Beary.

“What I find totally baffling is the view of the UNIFIL commander General Beary,” Haley told reporters, accusing him of ignoring Hezbollah’s arms dumps. “General Beary says there are no Hezbollah weapons.”

“He seems to be the only person in south Lebanon who is blind. That’s an embarrassing lack of understanding on what’s going on around him,” she said.

The 10,000-strong UN body’s mandate, last modified in 2006, was due to expire at the end of the month before it was extended.

Washington wants the UN force to take a tougher line on Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shiite armed movement that is represented in Lebanon’s government.