U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 Is Still Not Working

(New York, N.Y.) – Tuesday, August 11 marks the fourteenth anniversary of the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. It mandated the “immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations.” But to date, Hezbollah remains armed and active in south Lebanon, proving the inability of the Lebanese state to restrain the Party of God.

In fact, in a new report to the U.N. Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlights Beirut’s failure. He writes, “The maintenance of unauthorized weapons outside State control by Hezbollah and other non-State armed groups represents a persistent violation of resolution 1701 (2006) and is of serious concern.” He further complains that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) “has yet to gain access to all locations north of the Blue Line in relation to the discovery of tunnels crossing the Blue Line in violation of resolution 1701.”

The lack of compliance is another reminder of how Hezbollah has crippled and dominated the Lebanese central government. With the massive explosion at the Beirut port last week and the government resigning amid a colliding series of economic and political crises, the Party of God continues to remain unaccountable and unscathed.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s comprehensive website, Eye on Hezbollah, delves into how Hezbollah has managed to effectively construct a state within a state, paralyzing Lebanon in its primary loyalty to Iran. UANI Research Analyst David Daoud has also written extensively on the recent events in Lebanon, analyzing the explosion and its implications in recent pieces for Haaretz and the Atlantic Council.

To explore UANI’s website, Eye on Hezbollah, please click here.

###