A meeting of the committee monitoring the cessation of hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border convened this morning at the UNIFIL headquarters in Ras al-Naqoura, amid a backdrop of renewed Israeli threats and ongoing violations.
The “Mechanism” Committee concluded its meeting in Ras al-Naqoura. For the first time, a civilian participated as head of the Lebanese delegation: former Ambassador to the United States, Simon Karam, along with officers from the Lebanese Army led by the commander of the South Litani Sector, Brigadier General Nicholas Tabet.
The Lebanese side focused its discussions at the meeting on Israeli violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement and the implementation of Resolution 1701.
The session also included participation of US Special Coordinator Morgan Ortagus, and representatives from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Discussions are focused on recent ground developments, stabilization measures, and technical details of the inter-party communication mechanism.
The US embassy says Mechanism session signals intent to advance both “political and military dialogue” aimed at long-term security, stability, and peace for communities affected by the conflict: statement
Committee Faces Criticism Over Inaction on Violations
The meeting occurs amid strong criticism that the committee has consistently ignored systematic breaches of the agreement. According to UN reports, Israeli occupation forces have committed over 10,000 violations in the past year, involving both aerial and ground attacks.
These violations have repeatedly targeted civilian and residential areas, resulting in hundreds of Lebanese casualties. Observers note that the ongoing attacks have been met with silence from the ceasefire monitoring body and a lack of effective action by the Lebanese government to pressure relevant international actors to enforce the agreement.
Renewed Israeli Threats Heighten Tensions
The discussions take place as Israeli threats against Lebanon have intensified in recent days, with indications pointing toward a potential new military escalation. The Israeli news site Walla, citing security and political sources, reported that “the chances of escalation are now high.”
According to the same outlet, Israeli leadership has delivered explicit threatening messages to Lebanon through intermediaries. The report added that Tel Aviv had expected the impact of last year’s war to enable the Lebanese state to extend its authority in the south, but concluded that “the results were the opposite.”
Israeli Violations
Al-Manar correspondent indicated that an Israeli glider dropped a sound bomb in the vicinity of civilians in the western neighborhood of the town of Adaisseh, South Lebanon.
Israeli drones also flew intensively and at a low altitude over Beirut’s Dahieh and over 100 villages in South Lebanon during the Mechanism meeting.
Source: Al-Manar English Website and NNA
