Israeli spying in Lebanon a 'serious violation': UN
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) If allegations that Israeli spy networks are operating in Lebanon were confirmed in court, they would represent a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and undermine relevant UN resolutions, a top UN official said Wednesday.
"If these allegations are confirmed in court, this would constitute a very serious violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and consequently undermine relevant Security Council resolutions," Michael Williams, the UN special representative Lebanon, told reporters.
"As special representative of the secretary general, I am acutely conscious of the great unease and worry that this has caused among Lebanese," he added.
Williams spoke after briefing the 15-member council on implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in south Lebanon.
The UN envoy however dismissed allegations that the UN mission in south Lebanon (UNIFIL) facilitated the crossing of agents from the Israeli spy cells from Lebanon into Israel.
"UNIFIL has looked at this very, very seriously," Williams said. "The allegations that they were facilitating in some way the passage of individuals across the blue line is, I think, without foundation."
UN chief Ban Ki-moon also expressed concern at allegations by the Lebanese government that Israeli spy cells "have been operating in Lebanon and that the Israeli Defense Forces helped alleged spies to cross from Lebanon into Israel through the Blue Line."
The secretary general also noted that if the allegations were proven, they "could endanger the fragile cessation of hostilities that exists between Israel and Lebanon."
Last month, Lebanon's military prosecutor charged 10 more suspects with spying for Israel, continuing a crackdown on spy rings that has now seen a total of 68 people charged.
Forty of those charged are currently in custody, including a retired general and a policemen. Those detained are 37 Lebanese citizens, two Palestinians and an Egyptian.
Lebanon remains at a state of war with Israel and convicted spies face a possible life prison term with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life.
The charges came just days after parliamentary polls which saw a Western-backed alliance take 71 of the 128 seats in parliament, defeating a rival bloc led by Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Williams also deplored the fact that despite "repeated criticisms by the secretary general, Israeli overflights (over Lebanon) continue unabated and on a daily basis."
The overflights, which Israel says are needed to monitor alleged arms smuggling by Hezbollah, are in breach of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
Williams also noted that no date had yet been set for Israel to withdraw from the divided Ghajar village on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Resolution 1701 of August 14, 2006, brought an end to a devastating, 34-day Israeli military offensive against its northern neighbour, launched after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.
It demanded the pullout of the Israeli army from south Lebanon and its replacement by a UN-backed Lebanese army deployment. UNIFIL monitors the separation of forces following the war.
