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Hezbollah 'smuggling arms'
22/10/2007 07:29 - (SA)
Jerusalem - Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni charged on Sunday that weapons were still being smuggled from Syria to the Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah, undermining the UN mission in Lebanon.
"Continued smuggling of weapons and ammunition from Syria damages UNIFIL's ability to dismantle Hezbollah's armaments and will do so in the future as well if the smuggling continues," she told Claudio Graziano, the UN force commander.
Livni praised the work of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army for cracking down on arms smuggling in the region, according to a statement from her office.
"There is no doubt that the change in the situation in southern Lebanon and the movement of Hezbollah northwards, away from the border, is a direct response to activities carried out by UNIFIL and the Lebanese army," she said.
"It is imperative that these activities continue."
The UN peacekeeping force was strengthened in Lebanon after last year's devastating 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel, but the militant movement has resisted international calls to disarm.
The US ambassador to Lebanon last month said there was strong evidence that Hezbollah was still smuggling arms across the Syrian border.
- AFP
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