Israel to the UN: We Reserve the Right to Defend Ourselves Against Hezbollah

On Wednesday, February 8, Israel informed the United Nations Security Council that it would take all necessary actions to defend itself against the exchange of fire between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and its army. Ron Prosor, Israel's representative to the UN, stated in his letter to the Security Council that "Israel will not sit idly by while Hezbollah targets Israelis." According to Reuters, he added: "Israel will not tolerate any attack on its territory and reserves the right to defend itself, taking all necessary measures to protect its citizens." Prosor urged the 15 members of the Security Council to explicitly and publicly condemn Hezbollah's attack. This letter was submitted to the Security Council after an Israeli military vehicle was targeted by an anti-tank missile at the border with Lebanon on Wednesday. The Israeli army announced that two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others were injured in this attack. The Hezbollah group, which is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. The Israeli army immediately fired "at least 50 artillery shells" into Lebanese territory and conducted airstrikes in various areas of the country. During the Israeli airstrike, a Spanish peacekeeper was killed. In another part of his letter, Israel's representative to the UN called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and for Lebanon to adhere to its commitments under UN resolutions. Israel occupied parts of Lebanon for 22 years but withdrew from the south of the country in 2000. However, the two countries remain in a state of war. In 2006, Israel entered a bloody war with Hezbollah, during which 1,200 Lebanese were killed, mostly civilians, while about 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, also lost their lives in the conflict.