Israel continues Beirut strikes as UN resolution comes into focus

BEIRUT: A senior Lebanese official has signalled that Hezbollah is ready to pull its forces away from the Lebanese-Israeli border in any ceasefire, whilst rejecting Israel's demand for freedom to act against the Iran-backed group in the future.

Pressing its offensive against Hezbollah, Israel launched airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs for a third straight day, levelling more buildings in the area of the Lebanese capital controlled by the group.

Ali Hassan Khalil, speaking to Al Jazeera late on Wednesday, said Lebanon was ready to "precisely" implement a UN Security Council resolution that ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Its terms require Hezbollah to remove fighters and weapons from areas between the border and the Litani River, which lies about 30 km (around 20 miles) from Lebanon's southern border.


Asked whether Hezbollah had informed him of a readiness to withdraw to the Litani, Khalil - a close Hezbollah ally and top aide to Lebanon's parliament speaker - said the group had expressed its commitment to Resolution 1701.

The resolution, he added, "contained a clear set of provisions". "Yes, the party is committed to what is stated in these texts," he said.

Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows since launching an offensive against the group in Lebanon in late September, unleashing airstrikes, sending troops into the south, and killing top leaders.