Israeli, Lebanese, UN forces discuss 'frictions' along Blue Line

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army on Friday announced that its representatives participated in a tripartite meeting with Lebanese military officials and the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

In a statement to Anadolu Agency, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the meeting took place at the UNIFIL headquarters in Ras al-Naqoura in southern Lebanon.

The spokesman said during the meeting, the Israeli army presented, what it claimed, "Lebanese violations of Security Council Resolution 1701, which focused on the presence of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the presence of prohibited weapons there.”

“Notably, this meeting was predetermined and forms part of the mechanism to prevent friction along the Blue Line,” Adraee added.

UNIFIL is a multinational peacekeeping force that has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978. Its primary objective is to maintain security in the region and monitor a cessation-of-hostilities agreement.

Following the 2006 conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, UNIFIL was tasked with ensuring the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for a cease-fire between the warring sides and an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.