Hezbollah must withdraw from Lebanese border, Israeli FM tells ambassadors

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen led foreign ambassadors on a tour of Israel’s northern border today, telling the diplomats that unless Hezbollah withdraws its forces north of the Litani River, in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Israel will be forced to remove Hezbollah from the border by force. 

During the tour, ambassadors were briefed by security and civilian officials about Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 7 and the impact this security situation has had on the residents of Israel’s north.

Israelis who live near the border with Lebanon are among the 125,000 citizens from the north and the south who have been evacuated from their homes since the war’s start. 

The tour was part of a sustained campaign by the foreign ministry to put pressure on the international community to implement Resolution 1701. Among other efforts, France and Israel have, in recent weeks, established a working group to this end. 

Exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have continued, at a low boil, since October 7

Since Hamas attacked Israel’s south on October 7, triggering the ongoing war in Gaza, Hezbollah forces have fired on Israeli positions along the country’s northern border as well, with exchanges of fire continuing daily at a low boil. 

Last week, a citizen’s group of evacuated northerners called Lobby 1701 demanded the resolution’s implementation, “whether through diplomatic means or through a military action by Israel,” writing that “otherwise we will not return to our homes.” 

Meanwhile, residents of the Sharon region in the North have reported the sound of “drilling” beneath them at night, prompting worries that Hezbollah may be burrowing tunnels underground, as Hamas did in the South.

Similar reports were made by residents of Israel’s center, worried about the possibility of tunnels from the West Bank. Authorities have said that they are investigating the reports.