Speaker Berri to Security Council envoys: Stability in South Lebanon requires full Israeli compliance with UN Resolution 1701

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told ambassadors and representatives of U.N. Security Council member states that stability in southern Lebanon depends on Israel’s full adherence to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement, including ending daily violations and withdrawing behind the international border.

Berri received the diplomats at the second presidency in Ain al-Tineh, in a meeting attended by UNIFIL Force Commander Diodato Abagnara, U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon Imran Riza, and Berri’s media adviser Ali Hamdan. 

The discussion, which lasted more than an hour, covered political and security developments in Lebanon and the region.

According to a statement, Berri listened to the positions of Security Council member states and offered a detailed explanation of U.N. Resolution 1701, its importance, its requirements, and the conditions surrounding the cease-fire agreement. 

He also addressed the mandate of UNIFIL and what he described as contradictions in U.N. Resolution 2790.

Berri stressed that Israel must halt its daily violations and withdraw behind the international border, adding that the intensified meetings of the Quintet Committee — formed under the agreement — obligate Israel to immediately stop its fire and end what he called its “unilateral war” on Lebanon.

“It is unacceptable to negotiate under fire,” Berri said, warning that Israel’s continued military operations risk renewing and prolonging the conflict.