The Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, said today (Tuesday) that his country faces “grave challenges at various levels,” which has a negative impact on state institutions, including the military, as a result of tension and mutual bombing on both sides of the border with Israel.

According to what was reported by the Arab World News Agency, Aoun said on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of Lebanon’s independence: “Today, we stand before an extremely dangerous scene, as the Israeli enemy continues to commit the most horrific and bloodiest massacres in an unprecedented manner against the Palestinian people and repeats its attacks on the sovereignty of our homeland and our people.” In the southern border villages and towns, using internationally banned ammunition.”

He added: “Lebanon faces grave challenges at various levels, which are negatively reflected on state institutions, including the military institution, which today is facing a pivotal and sensitive stage in light of the political tensions, while the supreme national interest requires not to harm it, ensuring its continuity and cohesion, and maintaining morale of its soldiers.”

The Lebanese army plays limited roles in the border area with Israel, since Hezbollah decided to support fighters in Gaza by keeping the Israeli army busiy with its northern front.

The army, which is entrusted with the international forces (UNIFIL) to implement International Resolution 1701, which ended a 33-day war between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah in 2006, finds itself forced to limit its tasks to preventing Palestinian groups, as much as possible, from launching missiles towards Israel, by dismantling platforms found in the area. 

International Resolution 1701 stipulated the cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the deployment of an additional United Nations force tasked, in coordination with the Lebanese army, with monitoring the cessation of hostilities. It also stipulated the creation of an area between the Blue Line and the Litani River (known as the area south of the Litani) that would be free of any militants, military equipment and weapons other than those belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL forces.

However, this decision has witnessed many violations over the past 17 years, whether by Israel, which continued its continuous attacks, or by Hezbollah, which clearly did not withdraw its weapons and militants from the area south of the Litani.

The recent outbreak of the Southern Front raised more than one question mark about the fate of this resolution, whether it is still in effect, and whether a new UN resolution should be issued after the end of the fighting in Gaza and automatically in southern Lebanon.