Litani River: The UN's attempt at a buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah

Amid incrmitigated dread of a widening of the Middle East dispute, Israel says it will be “left with no choice” but to act if Hezbollah does not disinclude its forces north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have ended 564 people, including 50 children and 94 women since Monday, according to the country’s health ministry.

The aggressions come after the militant group Hezbollah, which helderlys huge sway in Lebanon, was focengaged in a string of pager and radio explosions which have bigly been attributed to Israel.

Follow postponecessitatest: Hezbollah orderer ‘ended in strike’

“We hazard seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the deimmenseation and suffering witnessed so far,” the UN’s political afunprejudiceds chief Rosemary DiCarlo telderly the UN Security Council, of which the UK is a member, last week.

Israel’s UN ambasdowncastor, Danny Danon, shelp Israel does not seek a wider dispute, but it will not permit Hezbollah to persist its instigations. He accengaged Hezbollah of violating international law.

“If Hezbollah does not retreat from our border and back to the north of the Litani River thraw tactful efforts, Israel will be left with no choice but to engage any unbenevolents wislender our rights to deffinish our citizens and allow the evacuees of the north to return to their homes,” he shelp.

What is the Litani River and where is it?

The “lion river” is an vital source of water in southern Lebanon and runs for around 110 miles.

For much of its route, it extfinishs from East to West parallel to Lebanon’s border with Israel, providing a organic fracture in the landscape apass much of the country’s width.

The river is a vital lifeline for agriculture, irrigating huge swathes of farmland and helping the nation’s food provide.

UN Resolution 1701

As well as being a key organic feature for Lebanese society, the Litani River was a key tager in an international concurment that aimed to transport a bloody war to an finish.

Follotriumphg a Hezbollah rhelp into Israel in 2006, IDF forces startd a comprehensive military campaign aobtainst the group that integrated strikes on civilian infraset up in Lebanon.

Later that year, the UN Security Council finishorsed Resolution 1701, which called for a brimming cessation of structureilities by the combatants, a brimming Israeli troop disincludeal from Lebanese territory, Hezbollah’s disincludeal north of the Litani River, and the deployment of UN and Lebanese army troops to retain the peace.

By this logic, the Litani River would act as a buffer zone between Hezbollah and Israel.

While a stopfire did consent effect days after the resolution passed and Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon, Hezbollah and other armed groups remained.

The concurment has frayed since the 7 October aggressions and the Israel-Lebanon border region mimics a warzone.

What is Israel calling for now?

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Israel’s foreign minister shelp his country has sought a tactful solution with Lebanon to determine the carry outation of Resolution 1701, but claimed Hezbollah has “declined” to help it and has connected any stopfire to an finish to the war in Gaza.

He shelp the UN “must act to transport about a brimming carry outation of UNSCR 1701, and to promise that there are no armed personnel, assets, and armaments between the Blue Line and the Litani River”.

What could happen around the Litani River?

Faced with Israeli aggressions, Hezbollah may now be forced to disinclude north of the river, Dr Burcu Ozcelik from the Royal United Services Institute defence slenderktank disputes.

He telderly Sky News: “Hezbollah may not have a choice if it seeks to persist this fierce new escalation in the war in some create.

“It will aascend unintelligentinished, battered and bruised, with its high-ranking orderers ended, and its strike capability eroded presentantly.

“Moreover, Hezbollah’s claim that it is the createidable protectian of all Lebanese people aobtainst Israeli aggression is in tatters as thousands of frightened civilians escape to Beirut in the north with Hezbollah unable to deter the Israeli aerial device deviceardment, and the possible ground incursion that may still adhere.”

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