UNIFIL says Lebanon's new government to support UN Resolution 1701

UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deputy spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said on Thursday that UNIFIL is sure that Saad Hariri's government will support UN peacekeepers' mission and UN Resolution 1701.

Tenenti said in a statement that UNIFIL welcomed the formation of the newly-formed Lebanese government, adding that UNIFIL is sure that the government will support the implementation of Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah.

Tenenti said that cooperation between UNIFIL and the new government will be similar to that of the previous cabinet.

Tenenti added that the situation along Israel and Lebanon's borders is calm and stable, despite separate incidents, and pointed out that UNIFIL has got no official information about any withdrawal or reducing the number of any international contingent operating within UNIFIL.

"Everything is going well thanks to the coordination between UNIFIL, the Lebanese army and the local residents," said Tenenti in the statement.

Investigations into the incident of Teir Felsay in Tyre, where ammunition exploded in a Hezbollah official's house last month, are still taking place, said the statement, stressing UNIFIL is taking necessary precautions to deal with all potential security threats.

Israel said the Teir Felsay blast was a proof that Hezbollah is stockpiling arms in South Lebanon, which was suspectedly caused by a rocket explosion. However, Hezbollah denied the charge.

UNIFIL was deployed in South Lebanon under the mandate of Resolution 1701, in a bid to monitor the ceasefire of the two sides after the 2006 war.

Source: Xinhua