Report: Israel, US agree to extending UNIFIL's mandate for one last time
Israel and the U.S. have agreed to the one-year renewal of UNIFIL's mandate for one last time, but under 'strict conditions, including granting these forces powers similar to those mentioned in Chapter VII (of the U.N. Charter), such as staging raids, arresting individuals and erecting checkpoints,' al-Akhbar newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying.
The ceasefire monitoring committee meanwhile held an urgent meeting Tuesday in Ras al-Naqoura, the first since June 26. The meeting followed the Lebanese government's decision to disarm Hezbollah by year end and in the wake of the blast that killed Lebanese troops during the dismantlement of Hezbollah weapons in Zibqin.
Informed sources told the daily that the two-hour meeting was a 'waste of time,' seeing as 'the Lebanese Army delegation did not receive any serious answers regarding its requests related to boosting its deployment in the southern border posts and specifying a date for the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanese territory.'
'The enemy's army delegation spoke in an arrogant manner, refusing to discuss the issues of its withdrawal from the occupied and buffer zones and the army's deployment on the border, while noting that Tel Aviv is not obliged to hear any Lebanese demands until the Lebanese Army completes the Hezbollah disarmament plan,' the sources added.
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