Hezbollah vows to maintain its military posts in Israeli territory, rejects UN diplomacy

A senior political official of the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah vowed that the powerful organization would not dismantle the two tents it set up on the Israeli side of the Blue Line. 

"Israel has been talking a lot about the two tents on the border for a month, and they consider that they have been placed at an advanced point on the Blue Line, according to their interpretation. Israel requests that these two tents be removed and that Israel prefers that the resistance remove them, because if the Israeli enemy wants that, war will occur and Israel does not want it," Lebanese Parliament member Mohammad Raad stated on Saturday.

While not an official border, the Blue Line marks the ceasefire line that was established after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. Known as Shaba Farms in Lebanon and as Mount Dov in Israel, the disputed territory was officially declared Israeli territory in 1981, alongside the entire adjacent Golan Heights. 

Raad said Israel was unwilling to use force due to concerns that it would lead to war. 

In June, the Israeli Kan news outlet reported that Hezbollah had set up an armed encampment on the Israeli side of the border. The Jewish state was aware of Hezbollah’s provocation but preferred to resolve the issue diplomatically with the assistance of the United Nations and possibly European countries. 

“The issue is known and dealt with by all the relevant parties,” stated an IDF spokesperson at the time. 

Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman accused the Netanyahu government of undermining Israel's security because of its lax attitude toward Hezbollah. 

“A weak, frightened government that shows laxity every day. Hezbollah's invasion of the sovereign territory of the State of Israel and the lack of an IDF response, fully reflect the true capabilities of the ‘right-wing’ government. A government that neglects the security of its citizens on a daily basis does not deserve to continue to serve,” stated Liberman.

The IDF stressed that the Hezbollah tents did not threaten Israeli security but warned it would use force to remove them if necessary. 

"Unless Hezbollah evacuates the two sites, the Israeli army will itself take the initiative to evacuate them by force, after two weeks of mediation by European capitals in contact with Hezbollah in Lebanon."