Newsflash: The UNIFIL force in Lebanon is doing diddley squat (hat tip: Shy Guy).
Hizbullah terrorists are free to roam at night without fear of being identified by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), according to a report by the German paper Der Spiegel.UNIFIL commanders were interviewed by the paper, saying their function is to “observe changes in the behavior of the local population,”
Thanks for clearing that up, because I could have sworn their function was to:
..take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilised for hostile activities of any kind, to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council, and to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers, and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence;
But maybe I’m reading too much into it.
Back to the report:
..with Spanish UNIFIL official Richard Ortax admitting that no patrols are carried out at night “because of the danger involved.”
Why does this not surprise me? It’s as if they think they are on holiday.
One junior officer told Der Spiegel he was glad that his battalion only left their camp once. “It’s absurd,” he said. “We landed here and set up our tent city, but since then we’ve only left the camp to drive around and to make sure that we’re seen.”The report cites a long tradition of UNIFIL inaction, which it says allowed time for a Finnish contingent to construct a giant sauna and an Indian contingent to decorate its base with tradition Indian artwork.
Meanwhile, while UNIFIL troops spend quality time together in their sauna while smoking peace pipe, Hizbullah are rearming.
The United Nations itself has admitted that Syria was still successfully smuggling arms to the Hizbullah, which neither UNIFIL nor the Lebanese army plan to stop.
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The UN Security Council noted with regret Tuesday that ‚Äúnon-Lebanese militias in the country had not been disbanded or disarmed, an allusion to the Iranian and Syrian backed Hizbullah. The statement was termed a “presidential statement” which is the weakest of all available Security Council
actions.
Following the meeting, UN envoy to the region Terje Roed-Larsen explicitly admitted that Syria was actively smuggling weapons into Lebanon. He said that Lebanese government officials “have stated publicly and also in conversations with us that there have been arms coming across the border into Lebanon.”
Roed-Larsen added that Syria does not deny the flow of weapons either, claiming only that they are not being dispatched by the Syrian government. “The consistent position of the government of Syria has been that, ‘Yes, there might be arms smuggling over the border, but this is arms smuggling and the border is porous and very difficult to control,'” Roed-Larsen told reporters.
Roed-Larsen ducked UN responsibility for the smuggling, saying UN troops had not been asked by the Lebanese army to monitor the border.
At least not during daylight hours.
