MP Khalaf warns of serious risks of UNIFIL withdrawal
MP Melhem Khalaf warned of the serious repercussions of UNIFIL’s withdrawal from South Lebanon, cautioning against the loss of the United Nations’ protective presence in the country.
Speaking to Voice of All Lebanon radio, Khalaf said UN Security Council Resolution 2790 established interconnected obligations, particularly verification of Israel’s withdrawal and the handover of UNIFIL positions to the Lebanese Army.
How can the Lebanese Army take over 33 UNIFIL positions along the Blue Line while they remain under Israeli occupation? he asked.
Khalaf argued that these circumstances rendered implementation of the resolution impossible and warranted its reconsideration, an issue he said the Security Council would address within the next three weeks.
He urged Lebanese authorities to continue pressing for an extension of UNIFIL’s mandate until the very last moment.
Khalaf warned that UNIFIL’s departure would leave Lebanon confronting Israeli occupation before its armed forces had fully developed the capabilities needed to exercise sovereignty throughout the country.
He also stressed UNIFIL’s role in maintaining stability and ensuring access between the southern villages of Debel, Ain Ebel and Rmeish and the rest of Lebanon, questioning who would safeguard these vital connections in the force’s absence.
