Lebanon lodges new UN complaint against Israeli after deadly airstrike

By Wassim Saifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanon filed a new complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel on Tuesday over a deadly airstrike that killed four firefighters.

An Israeli drone strike targeted a civil defense fire truck in the town of Froun in southern Lebanon on Sept. 7, leaving four firefighters dead.

The complaint was submitted by Lebanon's mission to the UN upon instructions from caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, according to the state-run National News Agency.

In the complaint, Lebanon “strongly condemns Israel's repeated, deliberate attacks on relief workers, health centers, and medical institutions.”

It called on the UN Security Council members “to condemn these violations, hold Israel accountable, and apply pressure to ensure adherence to international laws and norms.”

Since the outbreak of cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in early October, Lebanon has submitted numerous complaints to the UN Security Council against Israel in protest of Israeli “violations.”

On March 27, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said that it had submitted 22 complaints against Israel to the UN Security Council. Five more complaints were lodged in the following weeks.

The complaints included Lebanon’s roadmap and vision "on achieving sustainable stability in south Lebanon through the full and complete implementation of Resolution 1701," the ministry said.

Adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, Resolution 1701 calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.

The UN resolution calls for Israel to withdraw behind the Blue Line and disarmament of the region between this line and the Litani River in Lebanon, allowing only the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.

Tensions have mounted along the Lebanon-Israel border amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with an offensive against Gaza. The offensive has killed over 41,200 people since last October following a Hamas attack.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala