BEIRUT, Dec 26: The United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon expressed concern on Thursday at the "continuing" damage done by Israeli forces in the country's south despite a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah.
The truce went into effect on November 27, about two months after Israel stepped up its bombing campaign and later sent troops into Lebanon following nearly a year of exchanges of cross-border fire initiated by Hezbollah over the war in Gaza.
The warring sides have since traded accusations of violating the truce.
Lebanon's army on Thursday condemned Israel's "violation of the ceasefire agreement by attacking Lebanese sovereignty and destroying southern towns and villages".
Under the ceasefire agreement, UNIFIL peacekeepers and the Lebanese army were to redeploy in south Lebanon, near the Israeli border, as Israeli forces withdrew over 60 days. UNIFIL said in a statement on Thursday that "there is concern at continuing destruction by the IDF (army) in residential areas, agricultural land and road networks in south Lebanon".
The statement added that "this is in violation of Resolution 1701", which was adopted by the UN Security Council and ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006.
Meanwhile, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on Thursday for a timely Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, citing what it called Israeli violations of a Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement with Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a U.S.-brokered 60-day ceasefire that calls for a phased Israeli military pullout after more than a year of war, in keeping with a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the their last major conflict.
Under the agreement, Hezbollah fighters must leave positions in south Lebanon and move north of the Litani River, which runs about 20 miles (30 km) north of the border with Israel, along with a full Israeli withdrawal from the south. —AFP, REUTERS
