On November 22, the news of the attack on the Italian UNIFIL base in Lebanon, and the wounding of four soldiers who were inside the base, went around the world. Lebanese sources close to Hezbollah posted a long statement in which they made it clear that the attack on November 16, 19 and 22 against the UNIFIL Bases is only the beginning.
The statement reads: “In the “homeland” of “UNIFIL”, Israeli soldiers are penetrating from the villages of Yarin, Dhayra and Alma al-Shaab towards Al-Jbeen, Sheheen, Tayr Harfa and Chama. They are destroying residential neighborhoods, bombing and demolishing, in the square that includes the largest concentration of “UNIFIL” centers, from Dhayra and Alma to Shama and Al-Mansouri, and in sight of the UN headquarters and its radars ready to detect and shoot down the missiles and drones of the resistance”.
And they continue: “Formally, the United Nations justifies its neutrality by saying that it too is the victim of Israeli attacks, like the civilians for whose protection it receives billions of dollars. But in reality it participates in the aggression, since the radars of the Western Sector Command Center and the Italian unit in Chama are used to monitor the movements of the resistance fighters!”.
In recent days, with the beginning of the attempt by the Israeli forces to advance towards Al-Bayada, the command of the center [of the United Nations] has turned its searchlights at night towards the forests and valleys located south of Al-Bayada towards Chama, Tayr Harfa and Naquora”.
According to a Lebanese military source, “Israeli soldiers have difficulty advancing in the dense forests and rugged valleys that the locals know and defend well, so night lighting and radar help reveal their movements.” In addition, “Israeli soldiers gathered around the center to shelter from the resistance’s rockets and machine guns, and positioned batteries in the center to shell the coastal towns of Tyre.”
Despite this, the pro-Hezbollah statement said: “UNIFIL was content with a statement condemning the exchange of bullets between the resistance and Israel that reached its center. In the central sector, the French unit seeks to play an effective role in favor of Israel.”
According to Lebanese sources, on the 21st, an activity broke out between the French and the soldiers of the Special Reserve Force, particularly in the Burj Qalawieh base, to request intensive patrols in the towns of Bint Jbeil despite the incursions and bombings that are taking place. Despite the refusal of the requests of the Southern Command Litani of the Lebanese army, the latter – the French – have carried out raids on alleged Resistance sites, in addition to the effective role played by French radars even before the recent aggression in monitoring the launch sites of missiles and drones towards Israel.
Finally, the pro-Hezbollah statement reads: “Day after day, some UNIFIL units seem to be in a hurry to start the implementation of powers not yet approved by the Security Council, neglecting to implement the principle of protection of civilians, which is one of the most important provisions of Resolution 1701. Massacres of unarmed civilians are recorded daily in its area of operations. These behaviors reinforce the fears of the southerners about the future of the relationship between them and the “peacekeepers”, in light of the threat of increasing their numbers”.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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