Lebanon upset with Hezbollah’s patron Iran, PM Mikati rejects Tehran’s ‘guardianship’

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday said that he had rejected Iran’s offer to help implement a UN resolution concerning southern Lebanon.

Tehran has offered to negotiate with France to enforce the UN Resolution 1701 to safeguard Lebanon’s interests as Israel continues to pound the country.

“We are surprised by this position, which constitutes a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish a rejected guardianship over Lebanon,” a government statement quoted Mikati as saying.

Mikati added that negotiating to implement UN resolution 1701 was a matter for the Lebanese state.

What is the UN Resolution 1701?

The United Nations Resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 with an aim to cease the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The resolution calls for a permanent ceasefire based on the creation of a buffer zone.

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Under Resolution 1701, the United Nations Security Council authorised a UN peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL “to assist” Lebanese forces in ensuring southern Lebanon is “free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon”.

Netanyahu wants UNIFIL out 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that it is time to withdraw UNIFIL.

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told Reuters on Monday he wanted to see “a more robust mandate for UNIFIL to deter Hezbollah”.

The peacekeeping mission is currently authorised until August 31, 2025.

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Israel has accused the Lebanese army and UNIFIL of not maintaining security in the region. On October 1, it launched a ground operation in Lebanon following nearly a year of continuous hostilities with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, coinciding with the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

With inputs from agencies