Foreign Ministry Says UNIFIL Presence Covered Hezbollah’s Military Buildup

Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused UNIFIL on November 9 of providing cover for Hezbollah’s military buildup in southern Lebanon. The ministry pointed to the IDF’s discovery of weapons near a UNIFIL outpost, describing the cache as less than 100 meters from the position. The ministry said the peacekeeping force was tasked with keeping southern Lebanon free of unauthorized weapons and hostile activity. It said: “Instead, for two decades, its presence served as convenient cover for Hezbollah’s massive military buildup.” In its November 8 announcement, the IDF said the Oded Brigade Combat Team had found two weapons stockpiles around Meiss El Jabal: one in a civilian home approximately 200 meters from a UN post, and another in a storage facility approximately 100 meters from a post. The army listed Kalashnikov rifles, RPG launchers and rockets, a PK machine gun, fragmentation grenades, an explosive device, ammunition, communications equipment and surveillance equipment. It said the equipment was alongside humanitarian aid boxes and Amal and Hezbollah emblems. The IDF also said the Kfir Brigade Combat Team found an apartment used by Hezbollah for military purposes in Et Tiri, approximately 250 meters from a UN post. It contained surveillance equipment, combat gear, living supplies and Hezbollah emblems. The army said its 91st Division was operating in the southern Lebanon security zone to remove threats to Israel, and that it would continue removing threats to Israeli civilians and troops while remaining committed to the ceasefire.