
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it has found no evidence of the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah rearming since a ceasefire with Israel came into effect.
"Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last year, we have not seen south of the Litani river evidence of new weapons entering, of new non-state military infrastructure being built, or of military movements by non-state actors," UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel told dpa on Friday.
The peacekeepers are on the ground daily to monitor the situation, she said.
"Before and during the open fighting, they observed and reported activities by non-state actors, including Hezbollah, in the area of operations in southern Lebanon," Ardiel said.
She added that the situation in the south is fragile, but peacekeepers are continuing to work to consolidate the stability that has been rebuilt following the conflict last year.
"Peacekeepers are patrolling and reporting their observations every day, and at this point we have discovered almost 400 weapons caches and infrastructure sites that we have referred to the Lebanese Army for disposal, while the army themselves are making similar discoveries," Ardiel said.
"It’s not possible for me to give you a specific percentage, but what I can say is that we continue to discover abandoned weapons caches and infrastructure sites," she said.
A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has officially been in place since the end of November last year.
This includes the disarmament of the militia and its withdrawal – in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 – across the Litani river, about 30 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.
However, Israel accuses Hezbollah of reorganizing and rearming in the south of the country, prompting the Israeli military to launch daily attacks on the area.
Since the ceasefire came into effect, more than 300 people have been killed. According to the UN, this includes more than 120 civilians.
Hezbollah is considered to have been significantly weakened since the open war with Israel.
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