Netanyahu: Ban Ki-moon should condemn Iran for Hezbollah's attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested the UN Secretary-General to condemn Iran as the "main actor in Hezbollah's recent attack on Israel." According to Israeli media, Netanyahu expressed dissatisfaction on Sunday, February 1, during a phone call with Ban Ki-moon, regarding the "silence of the international community about Iran's role in this aggression." The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu criticized the fact that "no one in the world has pointed the finger at Iran for these aggressions so far." Netanyahu told the Secretary-General that "Iran is creating a terror infrastructure in Syria against Israel" and plays a crucial role in "global terrorism." In recent days, Netanyahu has also stated that Iran has been behind the recent attack against Israel and that the country has been aware for some time that Iran is seeking to open new fronts and create new challenges for Israel's security. During his phone call with Ban, Netanyahu also criticized the "inability" of UN forces in southern Lebanon. According to the Israeli Prime Minister, "Resolution 1701 of the Security Council is not being implemented, and UN peacekeepers have remained silent regarding the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon." Based on Security Council Resolution 1701, which was passed in the summer of 2006, all groups and organizations in Lebanon, especially Hezbollah, must be disarmed, and no group has the right to have military presence and movement below the "Litani Line" in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, which is a military ally of Iran, openly emphasizes and "takes pride" in the fact that its arsenal is filled with various weapons and rockets, and this organization has a large weapons depot that can now target all of Israel with precision-guided missiles. Resolution 1701 ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. Hezbollah is accused of receiving various weapons and rockets from Iran in addition to military funding and comprehensive support from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hezbollah works closely with the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard; in recent days, Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, visited Lebanon and met with Hassan Nasrallah. In his conversation with the UN Secretary-General on Sunday, Netanyahu expressed "regret" over the death of a Spanish soldier from the "UNIFIL" forces and stated that his country and Spain have agreed to conduct a joint investigation into this matter. Israeli artillery fire in response to Hezbollah's recent attack targeted a UN peacekeeping vehicle in southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of Francisco Javier Toledo, a Spanish soldier from these forces. Spain and the Security Council condemned the killing of the Spanish soldier in recent days. On Wednesday, January 28, Hezbollah attacked two Israeli military vehicles in the Shebaa Farms from southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old soldier and a 25-year-old officer, as well as injuries to seven other soldiers. Hezbollah and Iran stated that this action was a "response" to the attack on January 18 in the Quneitra area of the Golan Heights. In the January 18 attack in Syria, which was attributed to Israel, six senior Hezbollah activists and one commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, confirmed last Friday that Hezbollah has established a headquarters for attacking Israel from Syrian territory. The Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister have stated that the country will not "tolerate" the opening of another front by Hezbollah and Iran against northern Israel from Syria, in addition to southern Lebanon. On Sunday, February 1, Netanyahu said in a cabinet meeting, "Anyone who wishes to encroach upon Israel should know that they will not be safe." Concurrently, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior member of Hamas's political bureau, called on Iran and Hezbollah to expedite the delivery of weapons to Hamas in Gaza and provide more weapons. Al-Zahar stated in an interview with Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV on Sunday that Hamas is ready to cooperate more closely with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah to "end the Israeli occupation." Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, stated in recent days that "until the destruction of the Zionist regime, Iran will stand by the resistance groups." The Jerusalem Post reported on February 2, citing "Hamas sources," that the visit of Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's political bureau, to Tehran will also take place in the coming weeks. Lebanese media reported that following the new tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, officials from Hezbollah and Hamas met in Beirut in recent days to increase cooperation against Israel.