Hezbollah’s extensive military preparations and tunnel networks could have been stopped years ago if UNIFIL had done its job

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Israel’s arch-enemy and the head of Hamas, Yhaya Sinwar, is now dead, but UN agencies tasked with protecting the peace still haven’t been held to account. Since 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been tasked with maintaining peace along the Israel-Lebanon border. However, UNIFIL’s mandate to monitor and prevent hostilities has been systematically undermined by its own inability — or unwillingness — to act against Hezbollah’s growing military presence. Over the years, Hezbollah has entrenched itself in southern Lebanon, right under UNIFIL’s watch, preparing for an assault on Israel that could have had devastating consequences. Despite clear violations of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701, which call for the disarmament of Hezbollah and forbid any armed presence south of the Litani River, UNIFIL has failed to enforce these mandates.

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Just two weeks ago, I spoke with a young woman in Israel whose family was displaced by Hezbollah. Her family, part of a rooted Christian community in South Lebanon, had lived in the region for generations. They were taken in by Israel after being driven out by Hezbollah during the group’s consolidation of control. The family had been aligned with the........

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