[Ynet News] Yitzhak Benhorin - The Obama administration said it does not hold the power to expand UNIFIL's authority in south Lebanon. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told Congress that while UNIFIL enjoys limited power, its presence still has some value. Last week Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev said the explosion at a Hizbullah weapons cache has verified that the Shiite group is "building new military infrastructure south of the Litani River." UNIFIL is permitted to operate in coordination with the Lebanese army, but not independently. Rice said that UNIFIL failed to properly investigate the blast because it lacks the authority to apply force.
2009-07-30 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive