Israel Urges U.N. to Act Against Hizbullah Arsenal, Calls for EU Sanctions
Israel has urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn Hizbullah for allegedly building its arsenal to unprecedented levels, saying the party now possessed 50,000 missiles capable of hitting Israel.
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor said in a letter to the 15-nation council on Thursday that the buildup was in clear violation of Resolution 1701.
"In flagrant breach of (Security Council) Resolution 1701, Hizbullah has built its arsenal to unprecedented levels, amassing 50,000 deadly missiles in Lebanon - more missiles than many NATO members have in their possession," he said.
"These missiles can reach all of Israel and well beyond," he added.
In the letter of complaint, Prosor said an explosion in the southern town of Tairharfa on Monday was at a weapons depot.
"This explosion offers yet another reminder to the world about the grave danger before our eyes in Lebanon," he wrote.
The letter urged the Security Council and the international community “to send a clear signal that Hizbullah's rapid rearmament will not be tolerated - backed by concrete steps on the ground.”
"A logical first step is to ensure that Hizbullah is placed on relevant terrorism watchlists in all corners of the globe, including in the European Union," it said.
On Tuesday, a U.S. State Department official has expressed a cautious optimism at prospects for a European designation of Hizbullah as a terrorist organization.
“We've been engaging with our partners in Europe, and we are cautiously optimistic about the prospects for an EU designation of the group,” the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, Daniel Benjamin, said in an address at the Brookings Institution.
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