Israel is taking out the Hezbollah terrorist banks in Lebanon. Interesting approach to go after the finances of the terrorist group in a very direct manner. Previously I noted that Hezbollah was on the verge of being broke and its bankers were fleeing Lebanon. These strikes are intended to put a nail into the coffin of terrorist financing -- which may slow down terrorist groups even faster than taking out their munitions and militants. One interesting dilemma for Hezbollah here is that these banks likely contain millions in currency in vaults. If they moved this amount of cash out of these banks after Israel announced upcoming airstrikes then it is likely that the trucks transporting the currency would be immediately robbed in Beirut -- where there are many anti-Hezbollah groups and people. So all Hezbollah could do was leave their money and hope some of the currency did not go up in smoke. Israel hammers Hezbollah finances with crushing airstrikes Israel issued warnings ahead of the strikes and there are no reported casualties https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-hammers-hezbollah-finances-crushing-airstrikes
The U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon did whatever Hezbollah told them to do and utterly failed in their task. 'We were completely at Hezbollah's mercy,' former UN peacekeeper says UNIFIL forces were heavily restricted by Hezbollah, and little was done when they reported violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-825450 A former United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) soldier, under the alias Michael, testified that UNIFIL was “totally subject to Hezbollah” when he worked in Lebanon 10 years ago in an interview with Danish news site B.T. on Sunday. UNSTO, founded in 1948, is the first peacekeeping mission the United Nations ever created; with the mission of "monitor[ing] ceasefires, supervise[ing] armistice agreements, prevent[ing] isolated incidents from escalating and assist[ing] other UN peacekeeping operations in the region to fulfil their respective mandates. The soldier had been tasked with observing and reporting violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, which called for southern Lebanon to be without Hezbollah. Despite the organization’s mission, Michael reported, "We were totally subject to Hezbollah. We clearly had limited freedom of movement. For example, we never operated after dark for fear of Hezbollah. So they had free time in the evening and night hours.” Michael also reported that UNIFIL and UNTSO workers had their access to cities in southern Lebanon restricted by Hezbollah, who would stop them when they tried to enter certain areas. "They simply blocked the road. They were not visibly armed but aggressive, and it was quite clear that they were members of Hezbollah - we knew very well who decided things, especially in the Shiite cities,” said Michael. “They didn't want us to see what they were doing.” Despite their obligations, Michael testified that workers would simply observe from a distance when suspicious persons photographed the Israeli border. "When we patrolled the Blue Line, we often saw 'civilians' very close to the Israeli military installations taking pictures,” he said. ”When that happened, we withdrew and observed from a distance – we were simply instructed to do so.” Michael added that his ability to report what was happening to the security council was also limited, as Hezbollah terrorists would confiscate his devices if he attempted to collect evidence. Some outsourced workers for UNIFIL and UNTSO were also vocally supportive of Hezbollah, Michael recalled. “We had a number of interpreters who were indoctrinated into Hezbollah. I ended up throwing one of them out of my car once while he was praising Hassan Nasrallah. I simply didn't want to listen to it,' Michael claimed. In spite of the barriers created by Hezbollah, Michael claimed that when reports were made about violations, nothing was done. "We reported daily violations of resolution 1701 to our superiors, including in particular restrictions on our freedom of movement, and we were instructed to report all violations regardless of number. But nothing ever happened,' he said. "We did not hear back from them, and nothing was initiated. It was wildly frustrating, and it only confirmed to me what I had experienced in other countries I was posted to: The UN is incompetent.” Despite the aforementioned criticisms, Michael maintained that the on-the-ground workers had good intentions in Lebanon - “But of course, there were also some who were fervently anti-Israel. I especially remember one of them from Ireland.” Now 10 years later, Michael said he couldn’t imagine how deeply embedded and developed Hezbollah’s infrastructure has become. "We didn't hear or see any digging or tunnel construction when I was there - I would never hide that,” he testified. “On the other hand, several civilian houses and probably also a 'chicken farm' appeared close to the Blue Line while I was there, which, of course, we could not/were not allowed to inspect.” Only two weeks ago, the IDF located a tunnel that would have allowed Hezbollah terrorists to infiltrate into northern Israel. “I remember, on the other hand, that the Israelis had a really good handle on where Hezbollah was. We often visited the IDF on the Israeli side of the border to get their presentation of the situation. And they could pinpoint exactly where they had spotted Hezbollah on the other side of the border.” Combatting Hezbollah's threat Michael’s testimony comes weeks after Israel began a land operation in Lebanon, seeking to remove Hezbollah’s ongoing threat in southern Lebanon. On October 8, only a day after Hamas’s massacre in southern Israel, the Lebanon-based terror group began firing on northern Israel - forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. A number of civilians and soldiers have been killed in the attacks. UNIFIL refuses to move Since Israel began its land operation in Lebanon, several communities have been evacuated to ensure minimal civilian risk as Israel targets Hezbollah. Despite the evacuation warnings, UNIFIL has repeatedly refused to move its workers - instead vocally criticizing Israel when UNIFIL infrastructure and personnel get caught up in the military actions. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti, in an interview with KAN on Wednesday, claimed the organization would not evacuate “at the request of the Israeli authorities, but in accordance with the request of the Security Council and the international community.” "It is important to maintain the ability to monitor the area so that it is possible to report to New York and the international community," he further told KAN. "And it is important for both sides to have an impartial and unbiased force that can do this. Additionally, it's important these days to provide humanitarian aid to thousands of people who are still stuck in villages in the south of the country." The United Nations Office at Geneva complained on Monday morning that Israeli forces in Lebanon had “deliberately” targeted a UNIFIL watchtower and fence. “Yet again, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times,” UNIFIL stated. Michael’s interview came in tandem with an Israel Hayom report that Hezbollah terrorists captured by the IDF testified that Hezbollah paid money to UNIFIL personnel to use their bases for operations - a claim UNIFIL denied to the Jerusalem Post. (Article has pictures)
I believe the UN has an important function managing international relations. Unfortunately, it is frequently disparaged by the same countries that finance its actions and put in untenable situations by design, like in Lebanon, where they are given responsibilities with no means to enforce them.
You hit on some hard truths about the roles the U.N can be effective at... and the roles which they are totally unsuited for. Especially without enforcement capabilities. The other issue is that when the U.N. organizations are infiltrated with members of one side of the conflict then the U.N. stops being a neutral observer and effectively an active participant in the conflict. In the example of UNIFIL, it is asserted the peacekeepers were bribed by Hebollah to allow the U.N. bases to be used for terrorist operations. There are clear examples of Hezbollah storing and launching missiles less than 500 feet from UNIFIL bases (as per video and photos in the media); nothing was ever done about these launches. UNIFIL had one mission -- to stop Hezbollah from launching munitions into Israel; they completely failed at this.
It's very difficult to uphold integrity when UNIFIL has around 10,500 peacekeepers from 50 countries. https://unifil.unmissions.org/about The administration is itself more challenging than the function!
So who's stepping up to be the next dead boss? Hezbollah's presumed new leader confirmed dead days after taking charge https://www.the-express.com/news/wo...h-new-leader-confirmed-dead-Hashem-Safieddine
As I expected, Hezbollah is a paper tiger. Its oft parading uniformed troops are mostly guys looking for a monthly salary, who aren't willing to die for God or Iran. Their outsized military will shrink rapidly as Israel pinpoints its attacks on leaders and finances. Soon enough Lebanon's political and military will be able to retake control of physical areas and political agendas they've long stayed away from. I imagine there are intense negotiations going on now that Israel has more leverage than in decades. Iran could agree to stop funding Hezbollah and Hamas in exchange for no Israeli strikes in Iran proper. Maybe Israel expects a lot more, like Iran to shut its nuclear program. One thing is sure, October 7, 2023 will be remembered as a catalyst for change in the region, a paradigm shift to a future directed by Israel, not Iran.
Yep... it appears that no one wants to step up to be Hezbollah's next (soon to be dead) leader. Hezbollah confirms assassination of Safieddine, sparking leadership crisis https://inews.co.uk/news/world/assa...rship-crisis-hezbollah-3310517?ito=smart-news
Meet Hezbollah's next temporary leader. Hezbollah names a new leader to replace Nasrallah. Here’s what we know about him https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/29/midd...w-hezbollah-leader-israel-war-intl/index.html Hezbollah's new leader and former deputy, Sheikh Naim Qassem, attends a memorial service for slain Hezbollah members, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 19.