DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - LEBANON: U.N. FORCES STANDING ORDER - "DO NOT OFFEND HIZ B'ALLAH ! ! ! "

Israel: UN forces in Lebanon under orders not to offend Hizbullah

TEL AVIV — United Nations forces have sharply reduced operations in southern Lebanon, enabling Hizbullah to restore its military presence following last year's war with Israel.

Israeli military sources said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon has curtailed patrols and other operations near the Israeli border. They said UNIFIL patrols have been ordered to avoid population centers and refrain from any act that could anger Lebanese supporters of Hizbullah.

Israel has appealed to UNIFIL to expand operations in southern Lebanon, Middle East Newsline reported. But the sources said European Union contingents, including Italy and France, have refused to take any action that could anger Hizbullah.

"The European contingents of UNIFIL are deathly scared of a backlash that would put their troops in danger," a military source said. "We are quickly returning to the 'See no evil, hear no evil approach' that existed before 2006."

The curtailment of UNIFIL operations has facilitated Hizbullah's military build-up in southern Lebanon, the sources said. They said Hizbullah has restored weapons bunkers and tunnels throughout the south, particularly along the Israeli border.

The sources said UNIFIL has stopped patrolling villages south of Lebanon's Litani River. They said these operations ended around April 2007 in wake of Hizbullah-sponsored attacks on peace-keeping patrols.

"The end of the patrols means that Hizbullah has a free hand in all villages in the south," the source said.

On June 17, Lebanese insurgents renewed Katyusha rocket fire into Israel. At least three 107 mm Katyusha rockets landed around the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona. Nobody was reported injured.

On Monday, a group named "Jihadi Badr Brigade-Lebanon Branch" claimed responsibility for the Katyusha strike on Israel. The unknown group, believed to be a front for Syria and Hizbullah, warned of additional attacks.

"We had promised our people holy war," a statement by the group said. "Here, we again attacked the Zionists when a group from the Jihadi Badr Brigades struck the Zionists in the occupied Palestinian territory."

Under the new policy, the sources said, UNIFIL has also dismissed Israeli requests to remove Hizbullah and PLO flags from the Israeli-Lebanese border. UN officers said the flags should be removed by the Lebanese Army, rather than foreign peace-keepers.

"After the Katyusha rocket attack, it's clear that UNIFIL will care even more about force protection and less about keeping our border safe," the source said.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Israel: UN forces in Lebanon under orders not to offend Hizbullah