Lebanese Army Chief Calls for “Good Implementation of Resolution 1701” while Flouting It

Lebanese army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun on Monday called for “good implementation” of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hizbullah terrorist organization in order to “preserve stability” on the Lebanon-Israel border. Notwithstanding Aoun’s remarks, Lebanon continues to spurn the resolution’s prohibition against allowing an armed force other than the army itself or the deployment of Hizbullah south of the Litani River. The Lebanese anomaly was further highlighted on Monday when Lebanese President Michel Aoun again used Hizbullah rhetoric to describe Israel as a “threat” while Gen. Aoun said it’s the “right of the Lebanese to resist [Israel] and foil its plans by any means.” Ignoring the imperatives of Resolution 1701, the Lebanese president has, on multiple occasions defended Hizbullah’s role as “complementing” the Lebanese army in fighting Israel. The Arab League weighed in on the issue on Monday when it formally designated Hizbullah a terrorist organization, an announcement that prompted terror chief Hasan Nasrallah to prove the point by boasting that it transfers weapons including advanced missiles to Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. US policy continues to support supplying arms and military equipment to the Lebanese army which Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman insists finds its way to Hizbullah.