Guterres Emphasizes Hezbollah, Calls for End to Lebanese Groups' Interference in Syria

Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, called on all Lebanese parties to stop their interference in the Syrian civil war, specifically mentioning Hezbollah, the Shia group supported by the Iranian government. According to Agence France-Presse, Guterres emphasized in his quarterly report distributed ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday that 'the possession of illegal weapons by Hezbollah remains a concern and must be condemned.' As reported by AFP, the U.S. government, which is making extensive diplomatic efforts to counter Iran's influence in the region, is expected to take these accusations against Hezbollah seriously and reiterate them. The current U.S. administration has recently imposed new sanctions on this Lebanese Shia group, aimed at countering Iranian influence in the region, while also investigating Hezbollah's potential role in drug trafficking during Barack Obama's administration. The U.S. has also recently reiterated through Nikki Haley, its permanent representative to the UN, that Iran and Hezbollah are planning for a long-term presence in Syria. These statements were a reaction to the actions of Iranian-backed militants in Syria sending drones into Israeli airspace, which Haley described as a 'dangerous step' that 'led to increased tensions between Israel and Syria.' However, AFP noted that U.S. support for Israel may be limited in the UN Security Council by Russia's veto power. Recently, Russia vetoed a proposed Security Council resolution aimed at condemning Iran's arms shipments to Houthi rebels, effectively supporting the Iranian government's actions in Yemen. Russia did not accept the findings of UN experts, who stated in January that a missile fired by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia last year was made in Iran. At that time, the Russian government stated that the UN experts' report did not provide sufficient evidence of Iran's violation of the arms embargo on Yemen. In Guterres' report to the Security Council regarding Syria, it was emphasized that 'no progress has been made in disarming armed groups.' Guterres stated that 'the existence of weapons outside the control of the government in the hands of Hezbollah and other groups continues to hinder the full sovereignty of the Lebanese state throughout the country.' He pointed out that 'Hezbollah has openly acknowledged that it has maintained its military capabilities.' Guterres also noted that 'the ongoing crisis in the region remains a serious threat to Lebanon's stability' and expressed strong concern about the 'almost daily flights of Israeli warplanes' over Lebanese territory, which violate UN resolutions and Lebanon's territorial integrity. He mentioned that the areas of deployment and operational scope of UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon are generally calm. Guterres praised the more active presence of these forces to prevent and stop conflicts.