According to the former coordinator of the Lebanese government before the United Nations Interim Force (Unifil), the Israeli army is trying to establish its control and achieve objectives that it was unable to obtain in the war against the Lebanese Resistance (Hizbulah).

In statements to the national channel Al-Manar, Shehadeh emphasized that Israel seeks to maintain freedom of military movement, while bombing Lebanese regions and carrying out incursions on the ground without deterrence.

He also said that the truce monitoring mechanism, made up of the United States, France, UNIFIL, the Lebanese army and Israeli forces, had not proven effective in stopping these violations or pressuring Tel Aviv to stop its repeated aggressions.

The brigadier general said that the installation of tents by Israeli settlers in the Maroun al-Ras area reflects clear aggressive and settlement intentions towards southern Lebanon.

For his part, he said that Hezbollah still adheres to the ceasefire agreement in force since November 27, in an attempt to give the International Committee the opportunity to play its role.

Instead, Israel completed the destruction of villages in the south and bombed deep areas of the Bekaa, in clear violations of international resolutions, he said.

Shehadeh said that Israel’s advance northward, reaching a distance of 12 kilometers from the Al-Masnaa crossing on the Lebanese-Syrian border, seeks to impose new rules.

The Lebanese officer mentioned the presence of reconnaissance aircraft over the national airspace and the intention to remain in the south of the country even after the expiration of the specified period of the truce, according to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz.

For the brigadier general, Israel’s insistence on continuing its aggressive policies confirms the importance of the Resistance in confronting the Zionist-American project in the region.

mem/yma