After the Second Lebanon War, UNIFIL (The United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon) was charged with, among other tasks, ensuring that Hezbollah was not allowed to solidify its grip in the region. The results have been, to put it mildly, less than stellar. Now Israel is pushing UNIFIL to do its job:
Ahead of the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate this summer, the Defense Ministry is hoping that the United Nations will issue new rules of engagement for the peacekeeping force that will enable it to search Lebanese villages without prior coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
According to UNIFIL's current rules of engagement, the force is not allowed to enter southern Lebanese villages to search for Hizbullah arms caches unless it coordinates the operation with the LAF.
On Saturday, UNIFIL troops were prevented from reaching a home in the village Hirbet Selm, which stored dozens of Katyusha rockets and accidentally exploded last week. According to Lebanese media reports, 14 UNIFIL soldiers were injured in the ensuing scuffle.