Lebanon's new government Wednesday endorsed Hizbullah's right to keep its weapons, the latest sign that the group has no intention of meeting a UN resolution calling for it to disarm.
A United Nations resolution that ended the Second Lebanon War calls on the group to disarm.Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is seen speaking via a video link as journalists listen to him during a press conference in Beirut on Monday.
Lebanon's government is a shaky coalition of Western-backed factions and Hizbullah, which has virtual veto power over the government. The group is said to have thousands of rockets and missiles hidden in basements and bunkers throughout Shi'ite Muslim areas of the country.
Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said recently that his group has replenished its weapons stock since 2006 and now has more than 30,000 rockets, which he said can strike virtually anywhere in Israel.
via jpost.com
This now means that in the next war no targets are off limits to Israeli forces. Hizzbollah has joined the government and thus Lebanon is open to full responsibility. Note also that Hizzbollah has now also placed Lebanon, as a country, in violation of UN 1701. Finally Hizzbollah has threatened Israel again and indicated that Israel is occupying Arab lands. Iran is the patron of these developments-this story continues to emerge.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution that was intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.
It was unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council on 11 August 2006. The Lebanese cabinet, which includes two members of Hezbollah, unanimously approved the resolution on 12 August 2006. On the same day, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that his militia would honor the call for a ceasefire. He also said that once the Israeli offensive stops, Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel would stop. On 13 August the Israeli Cabinet voted 24-0 in favor of the resolution, with one abstention. The ceasefire began on Monday, 14 August 2006 at 8 AM local time, after increased attacks by both sides.
