Yoav Gallant meets with António Guterres
(Video: Liri Agami)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met Tuesday with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and stressed that the likelihood of escalation on the northern border is increasing due to Hezbollah operations which violate Israel's sovereignty.
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"Iran pushes Hezbollah to act, the UN must ensure and maintain the ability to operate independently in southern Lebanon," Gallant said during the meeting at UN headquarters in New York.
At their meeting, Gallant and Guterres discussed threats that destabilize the Middle East, most notably Iran’s actions against Israel through its funding and arming of Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Gallant reviewed with Guterres Iran's growing involvement on the Lebanese, Syrian and West Bank borders, emphasizing the importance of public condemnation by the UN of such actions.
The defense minister stressed the urgent need for immediate UN intervention in easing tensions by strengthening the freedom of movement of UNIFIL forces in the region and implementing their mandate on the northern border. He also discussed with Guterres the deployment of Hezbollah positions along the border and made it clear that the State of Israel would act against any breach of sovereignty and a threat to the lives of its citizens.
Gallant also expressed his appreciation to the UN secretary-general for his personal efforts to resolve the issue of the Israeli captives and missing persons held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and asked for his help in resolving the issue.