Hezbollah must withdraw from the border in accordance with a long-standing UN resolution, the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman has stated.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has warned that this is the final opportunity to prevent a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, emphasizing the need for the Lebanese militia to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
This statement follows Israel’s accusation that Hezbollah carried out a rocket attack on a soccer field in the Golan Heights on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 teenagers and children and injuries to about 20 others. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the attack.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Oren Marmorstein, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, described the tragedy as a “massacre,” asserting that the rocket was of Iranian origin and that “Hezbollah is the only terror organization which has those in its arsenal.”
Issuing a warning that Israel would retaliate, Marmorstein stated that “the only way that the world can prevent a full-scale war which would be devastating also to Lebanon” is to compel Hezbollah to comply with Security Council Resolution 1701.
This resolution, unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council in 2006, aimed to end full-scale hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. One of its objectives was to establish a neutral buffer zone between the two states. However, while Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon, Hezbollah did not fully comply, maintaining its military presence in southern Lebanon along the Israeli border.
“Now is the very last minute to do so diplomatically,” Marmorstein added, urging the global community to impose sanctions on Iran – which has maintained close ties with Hezbollah for years – and calling for the designation of both the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.
Israel’s military claims to have already retaliated, stating that air strikes have been conducted on Hezbollah targets “both deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon.”
The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Herzi Halevi, indicated that the military is enhancing its readiness for “the next stage in the fighting in the north,” adding that “when required we will act strongly.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani cautioned Israel “against any adventurism.” “Any stupid measure by the Zionist regime can lead to the expansion of the scope of instability, insecurity and the flames of war in the region,” he warned.
Numerous Western leaders and UN officials have urged both sides to exercise restraint. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib informed Reuters that his country’s government had requested the US to persuade Israel to refrain from any hasty actions, adding that Washington had asked Beirut to pressure Hezbollah to do the same.