Israeli FM Katz to UN: Israel rejects Hezbollah's war of attrition, calls for enforcement of UN Resolution 1701

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in a letter to the UN Security Council, called for the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which mandates the disarmament of Hezbollah and the withdrawal of the militant group's forces from southern Lebanon to the Litani River.

"Now, this council must act to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1701. Hezbollah is intentionally spreading its military operations within civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, using the population as human shields. Israel has monitored this and will act to protect its people from Hezbollah's attacks,” Katz stated.

Since the passage of UN Resolution 1701 following the Hezbollah-initiated Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah has significantly strengthened its military capabilities and expanded its presence in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border, which violates the UN mandate.

Katz further emphasized that “Israel will no longer tolerate the war of attrition that Hezbollah and Iran are trying to impose on us. While Israel has shown remarkable restraint over the past 11 months, we will not endure the continued war of attrition that Hezbollah and its patron Iran are trying to force upon us."

“Israel does not seek a full-scale war,” Katz said in his letter, “but we will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our citizens in accordance with international law,” he added.

Katz urged the UNSC to take action to prevent Hezbollah’s and Iran’s military escalation against Israel. He stressed that Israel seeks to minimize civilian casualties in Lebanon and informed civilians to evacuate from areas where Hezbollah stores weapons.

"We have issued warnings to civilians in Lebanon near buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, advising them to evacuate for their safety. I call on the Security Council to strongly condemn Hezbollah’s latest offensive, directed by its Iranian patron, and its ongoing attempts to destabilize the region," the Israeli foreign minister confirmed.

Katz called on the international community to condemn Iran and its terrorist proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, for escalating regional tensions across the Middle East. He specifically called for economic sanctions against the Iranian regime and to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched “Operation Northern Arrows” on Monday against Hezbollah forces, striking over 1,600 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon in 24 hours.

Lebanese reports claimed that around 500 people had been killed in the Israeli aerial operation against Hezbollah, with a Lebanese official describing it as “the deadliest day in the country since the end of the civil war in 1989.”

However, Lebanese media did not provide any information concerning how many of those fatalities were Hezbollah terrorists.

While the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself, the Biden administration opposes an Israeli ground operation in Lebanon due to fears that it would ignite a regional war. While the U.S. and other nations ramped up efforts to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon, Hezbollah escalated its rocket attacks on northern Israel.

Last week, the Israeli government updated its war objectives to include the returning of residents in the north securely to their homes."