France and Spain install radars in southern Lebanon accused of being used against Hezbollah
French and Spanish radars installed by UNIFIL in southern Lebanon are being used to target the resistance on behalf of Israel, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on August 15 as cited by The Craddle
“A week ago, an Israeli drone targeted two Hezbollah fighters in Naqoura. Eyewitnesses said the drone was not noticed or heard before the surprise attack, which brought attention to the new French radar that was raised above the UNIFIL base on Mount Naqoura, and whether it was used to monitor the resistance movements,” Al-Akhbar wrote.
The French radar, the “marine radar” as the newspaper calls it, was installed in the south two weeks ago at the request of UNIFIL's chief of staff, the Frenchman Cédric du Gardin.
Before the end of his mandate, at the end of last July, the former French chief of staff sent a letter in which he "reprimanded his officers for their failure to detect any drone, air defense missile or rocket" launched by resistance,” the report adds.
Previously, a Spanish radar was installed in the Blat plain in southern Lebanon, in Marjayoun.
Israel “asked the current UNIFIL commander, Spaniard Arludo Lazarro, to install the radar immediately after his appointment two years ago. However, local Lebanese pressure postponed the decision until army commander Joseph Aoun and the government expressed their approval, with Defense Minister Maurice Slim refusing,” the sources told the newspaper.
Spanish radar monitors the occupied farms of Shebaa and the hills of Kfar Shuba, on the border with Lebanon.
The two radars "complete the French radar system installed after the July 2006 attack on Lebanon" in the vicinity of Bint Jbeil, the newspaper reported.
According to the report, the UNIFIL navy also joined the intelligence campaign to offset the blind spot created by Hezbollah attacks on Israeli surveillance sites and equipment.
“A German warship, commanding UNIFIL naval forces since 2001, is stationed off Naqoura. No one knows who gets on or off it, nor who uses it for reconnaissance, especially in the area from Tire to Naqoura, which has witnessed several murders,” sources in the field told the newspaper.
UNIFIL has operated in Lebanon since the first Israeli invasion in 1978. Despite this, its forces have failed to end an 18-year occupation and have attempted to expand their areas of influence without proper authorization. We remind you that Italy also operates within UNIFIL.
Many in Lebanon have for years accused UNIFIL of acting to suppress resistance in the south on Israel's behalf.
Last year, Washington and London sought, on Israel's behalf, to gain Lebanon's approval for a United Nations Security Council resolution granting UNIFIL freedom of movement throughout the country, unaccompanied of the Lebanese army as foreseen by the UN.
“The United States and Israel failed to implement the freedom of movement clause despite the enormous pressure exerted on Lebanon,” Munir Shehadeh, former Lebanese government coordinator for UNIFIL, told Al-Akhbar.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new Economic Scenarios articles.
The article France and Spain install radars in southern Lebanon accused of being used against Hezbollah comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/francia-e-spagna-installano-radar-nel-sud-del-libano-accusati-di-essere-usati-contro-hezbollah/ on Thu, 22 Aug 2024 05:15:03 +0000.