BEIRUT: The leader of Lebanon’s Shiite armed group Hezbollah on Saturday condemned a recent amendment in the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force deployed along the border with Israel.
The UN Security Council on August 31 extended the mandate of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force for a period of a year but with a slight modification in the wording.
Hassan Nasrallah took issue in a televised speech 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 and movements in its area of operations in the south with the Lebanese army.
“This is a trap that the Israelis have set for Lebanon over many years,” Nasrallah said, calling the resolution “a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”
Nasrallah lambasted the Lebanese government for allowing the resolution through and warned that it could give rise “to great dangers in the area south of the Litani” river.
On September 13, UNIFIL reacted to Hezbollah concerns by assuring it was still working closely with the Lebanese army, a statement Nasrallah welcomed in his Saturday speech.
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, and the 10,500-strong force is tasked with monitoring a cease-fire between the two sides.
Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war.
Hezbollah slams amendment in UN peacekeepers’ mandate
https://arab.news/c7a6x
Hezbollah slams amendment in UN peacekeepers’ mandate
- The UN Security Council on August 31 extended the mandate of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force for a period of a year
Morocco PM Akhannouch announces end of term
- Akhannouch has defended his record, boasting of economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, growth and social programs including expanded health care coverage and aid to low-income households
RABAT: Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said Saturday he will not seek re-election as head of his party, which precludes his return as government chief were it to win this year’s parliamentary elections.
Akhannouch has led the government since 2021 but faced mounting calls to resign by the Gen Z protest movement as Moroccan youth demanded sweeping reforms to the health and education sectors late last year.
Speaking at a party rally in the coastal city of El Jadida, Akhannouch told his National Rally of Independents (RNI) party his decision to step down was “serious and deeply thought through.”
King Mohammed VI has traditionally appointed as prime minister the leader of the party that wins parliamentary elections.
The next vote is set for late September.
Akhannouch has defended his record, boasting of economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, growth and social programs including expanded health care coverage and aid to low-income households.
But the 64-year-old wealthy businessman has drawn criticism over alleged conflicts of interest regarding his ownership of one of Morocco’s largest fuel station networks, Afriquia.
The youth-led protests that called for Akhannouch to resign erupted in September and led authorities to pledge more funding for education and health care.
