UNIFIL chief reassures Israel

The commander of U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon said Hezbollah is not rebuilding its former strongholds. In what appeared to be a move to reassure Israel about the effectiveness of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was boosted following last year’s war with Hezbollah, General Claudio Graziano gave an extensive interview to Yediot Achronot on Friday. “I want Israelis to understand that the situation in Lebanon has changed,” he said. “There is a different UNIFIL, a new one. The meetings of the cease-fire committee have been resumed. I wish to begin negotiations on long-term solutions.” According to Graziano, UNIFIL has discovered hundreds of abandoned Hezbollah bunkers, which were then blown up by the Lebanese army, and the Iranian-backed militia is not managing to rebuild rocket arsenals south of the Litani River – its former heartland. Asked if his men would be willing to risk their lives to prevent another Hezbollah attack on Israel like the July 12 border raid which sparked the war, Graziano said: “Yes. If it is necessary, we will fight.”