Jerusalem: Israel will resume operations in Lebanon if a UN force being assembled to deploy in the south of that country does not disarm Hezbollah guerrillas.
The Israeli warning comes in reaction to reports in the Israeli media that Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Sinora reached a deal with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah allowing the guerrilla group to retain its weapons but to refrain from exhibiting them in public.
This arrangement violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which came into force Monday and which ended over one month of fierce fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants, the Jerusalem Post daily reported on Wednesday, quoting "an official in the prime minister's office".
"The resolution is clear that Hezbollah needs to be removed from the border area, embargoed and dismantled," the Israeli official said.
It calls for implementation of all previous resolutions which require "the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon" and states that the area between the Israeli border and the Litani river must be "free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon" and the UN force.
Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr said Monday the Lebanese army would not disarm Hezbollah but it expected the Shia movement to leave south Lebanon once troops are deployed.
"The army won't be deployed to south Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, something which Israel was not able to do," he said.
The Israeli official, however warned: "If the resolution is not implemented, we will have to take action to prevent the rearming of Hezbollah. There has to be pressure on Hezbollah to disarm or there will have to be another round."
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