Evacuated Israelis appeal to Biden administration to help end Hezbollah threat, return home

An organization representing Israelis evacuated from their homes near the Lebanese border appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden for his help to ensure their safe return, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

The group, Lobby 1701, represents some 60,000 Israeli citizens who were evacuated from their homes near the Lebanese border in northern Israel after Hezbollah terror forces began launching daily attacks against Israel that began following the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of southern Israel.

In a letter sent to Biden and U.S. National Security Council head Jake Sullivan, they demanded that Israel receive U.S. support while ensuring the return to their homes, either through diplomatic means or via a military operation to remove the threat by Hezbollah

“Since October 7, Hezbollah has put an end to our daily lives here in northern Israel. Because of their daily missiles and UAV attacks that target our homes and communities, and the threat of many more, we were unwillingly forced to evacuate,” the letter read.

UN Resolution 1701 was issued after the end of the last Israel-Lebanon war in 2006 and stipulates that Hezbollah must keep its forces north of the Litani River, clear of the Israeli border.

“For 17 years we have had to bear witness to how ineffective UNSCR 1701 is in the face of reality,” the letter continues.

“Hezbollah never acted in accordance with the resolution and openly established military positions on the border – feet away from our homes. Meanwhile, UNIFIL has been providing a false sense of security, while allowing Hezbollah to rearm, prepare, and plan its invasion into Israel. This has proven especially true over the past three years.”

One of the group’s founders, Nisan Ze’evi, told The Algemeiner global news site that the resolution’s failure “left us with no choice but to demand genuine security through a Hezbollah-free buffer zone.”

“We refuse to return to our homes without concrete assurances of safety. We demand a change of the present reality: From a buffer zone within Israel to a buffer zone within Lebanon,” he said.

Israel has repeatedly issued stern warnings to Hezbollah not to escalate the daily fire exchanges further and has increased its retaliatory airstrikes in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.