The U.S. Rejects Israel's Request to Sanction Lebanon

Israeli media reported on Wednesday, December 21, that the U.S. has rejected Israel's request to impose sanctions on Lebanon. Israel announced the discovery of three Hezbollah tunnels intended to infiltrate Israeli territory, claiming that the Lebanese government is responsible and has violated one of the United Nations Security Council resolutions. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a meeting in Brussels last Monday to impose sanctions on Beirut over the tunnel issue. The newspaper stated that Pompeo did not agree to this request but agreed to increase pressure on Hezbollah. The Israeli Times reported that Pompeo assured Netanyahu that the United States is committed to countering the overall threats of the Iranian regime with 'maximum pressure.' In this context, on Tuesday, it was reported that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that sanctions Hezbollah and Hamas for 'using civilians as human shields.' The bill emphasizes that these two groups hide their rockets among civilians and launch them from residential areas. Israel claims that Hezbollah intends to use the border tunnels in future wars for severe and surprise initial attacks, bringing 'dozens and hundreds of terrorists' into Israel. The Israeli army launched an operation named 'Northern Shield' on December 13 to 'discover and destroy Hezbollah's offensive tunnels' within its territory. On the first day of the operation, they reported the discovery of a tunnel between 'Kafr Kila' in the Shiite-dominated southern Lebanon and the Israeli settlement of 'Metula'; on Thursday, coinciding with Netanyahu's visit to the area, the Israeli army informed the media about the discovery of a second tunnel. On Tuesday, December 20, the discovery of a third tunnel was announced, and the Israeli army held the Lebanese government responsible, claiming it violated UN Resolution 1701. Benjamin Netanyahu, in a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, described Hezbollah's activities as contrary to Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Netanyahu also mentioned Iran in his conversation with the Secretary-General, stating, 'These actions by Hezbollah are part of Iran's aggression in the region.' On the other hand, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Wednesday that his country respects Resolution 1701 and will continue internal coordination and cooperation among authorities and international observers for its implementation. The discovery of these tunnels and the 'Northern Shield' operation increase the likelihood of renewed battles between Israel and southern Lebanese forces, with Netanyahu asserting that his country is 'fully prepared' for any challenge. However, Lebanese officials have downplayed the likelihood of conflict, stating that there will be no clashes as long as Israel does not cross the border. Reports indicate that UN peacekeepers have also increased their border patrols between the two countries.