Recently-captured Hezbollah terrorists have testified that the terror group paid money to UNIFIL in exchange for use of their positions in southern Lebanon, Israel Hayom reported, quoting security sources.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Hezbollah took over UNIFIL cameras in areas near the Lebanon-Israel border, and made use of them.
The report added that in light of these revelations, any future agreement with Lebanon will demand more of a commitment from the Lebanese army and less from UNIFIL.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established in 1978 to confirm both Hezbollah and Israeli cooperation with several resolutions intended to bring an end to Operation Litani, an invasion of Lebanon targeting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The force was made of troop contributions from multiple UN states.
UNIFIL claims that its original mandate was to "confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace and security, and assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area." It was also expected to encourage the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Its mandate has been reaffirmed repeatedly by the UN following various Israeli offensives into Lebanon, and expanded to include the execution of humanitarian aid tasks.
Since the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, UNIFIL's role has focused on monitoring military activity of all parties between the Litani and the Blue Line. Its role allegedly includes preventing arms smuggling, and executing humanitarian tasks, including assisting the displaced and clearing unexploded ordnance. Hezbollah built up an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles during this period without interference from UNIFIL..
