United States President, Barack Obama, told his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Suleiman, that Lebanon must act to crack down on weapons bound to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party, adding that it is in the interest of all related countries to stop the smuggling of weapons. He said that the United States is committed to strengthening the Lebanese armed forces so that they can monitor the border with Israel, and to be able to secure all Lebanese borders.
Israel claims that the 12.000-strong force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is not conducting its duty in preventing the flow of arms to Hezbollah.
The 2006 Israel-Lebanon war ended by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for banning all weapons along the Litani River and the Blue Line which separates between Israel and Lebanon and is monitored by the United Nations.
Obama told Suleiman that his country is committed to helping boost the Lebanese forces to enable them to have better control over the Lebanese borders. He added that progress was made in enforcing resolution 1701, but “more efforts are still needed to ensure full implementation”
The United States gave Lebanon more than $400 million since 2006 and was planning to deliver drones and tanks to the country.
The Lebanese president complained to Obama about the Israeli threats against Beirut, and urged him to push Israel to end its occupation to the Sheb’a farms and other Lebanese border territories. Sheb’a farms are occupied by Israel; Lebanon says the territory is part of the country while the United Nations says that the area belongs to Syria.
The Israeli air force continuously carried flights over Lebanon, an issue that pushed Beirut to complain to the United States. However Israel claimed that the flights are essential to monitor the movements of Hezbollah and its fighters in southern Lebanon.
