UN demands that Lebanon’s forces and Hezbollah militants allow unannounced UN peacekeeping patrols

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution demanding that the Lebanese military and Hezbollah stop blocking the movement of the U.N. peacekeeping force and guarantee its freedom to operate, “including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols.” Lebanese officials had pushed to remove a provision in the resolution, first introduced last year, that allows the peacekeepers to patrol without giving prior notice to the Lebanese army. But the council ignored the request and voted 13-0 on Thursday with Russia and China abstaining, strengthening last year’s text and reaffirming that under the agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese government, the peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL “does not require prior authorization or permission to undertake its mandated tasks.”