On Tuesday, July 14th, a series of explosions ripped through a weapons cache in Khirbat Salim, a Shiite village located north-east of Tibnin and west of the Israeli city of Kiryat Shemona.

Reports indicate that the explosions, which lasted from the early morning until approximately 15:00, took place under an abandoned house on the outskirts of the village.

Following the explosion, the area was blocked off for inspection. As the village is well south of the Litani River, it is within the UNIFIL-mandated area of operation. After arriving on location, the LAF denied access to UNIFIL inspectors, ultimately allowing them on scene only later on. It appears that Hezbollah operatives had arrived earlier in order to remove evidence indicating their presence.

The arms cache consisted of Hezbollah arms, including rockets, mortar, artillery shells, grenades and additional ammunition, which have been brought to the area since the Second Lebanon War ended three years ago. This in direct contradiction to UNSCR 1701 which went into effect immediately after the war and explicitly demarcated the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River as:

Background Information

Illegal Hezbollah Military Capabilities

While the recent UNIFIL report on the enforcement of UNSCR 1701 did indicate that Hezbollah wields a military force side-by-side with the state-authorized Lebanese Army, it also reported that there was no substantiating evidence to Israeli claims of Hezbollah weapons in Southern Lebanon (article 28 of the last report – July, 2009). This event proves both that weapons continue to exist in the region and that these caches are not only limited to pre-war quantities; ongoing smuggling from Iran and Syria continues to strengthen the Hezbollah's military capabilities, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The existence of a military infrastructure in the area, particularly in Shiite villages, demands treatment.
 

The Threat to the Lebanese Population

During the Second Lebanon War, the Hezbollah systematically and cynically exploited the local civilian population, maintaining its military network within densely populated areas. In addition, large quantities of rockets were fired from within these areas as well. This apparent lack of concern for the local population was reaffirmed in May 2008, when the Hezbollah turned its firepower into the domestic arena in order to ensure that it would attain veto rights within the new government's policy statements.

This most recent incident has displayed once again Hezbollah's position towards the local population; hiding ammunition within populated areas not only sets the area as a legitimate target for a military strike but also exposes the non-combatants to the dangers of being in proximity to arms caches which are not necessarily stable. This behavior stands in direct contradiction with Hezbollah's attempts to portray itself as the "Protector of Lebanon".

 

Focal points

1. The Hezbollah is continuing its military expansion and force build-up, particularly within urban environments, within which UNIFIL refrains from taking action.
2. In this incident, the Hezbollah has invested significant efforts in concealing the weapon cache, as well as attempting to remove evidence of their activities before UNIFIL was permitted to inspect the area.
3. This incident reemphasizes the Hezbollah military activity in southern Lebanon, which further illustrates the need for ongoing surveillance through various methods.
4. The Shiite villages in south Lebanon, which have been modified into "military villages", contain dozens of bunkers with rockets, ammunition and other weapons

5.  
   Aerial photo of arms cache explosion (note holes in roof from explosion)
   

   
   
6. The primary source of the weapons which the Hezbollah has amassed in southern Lebanon is the smuggling axis which runs between Iran, Syria and the Hizbullah. The bulk of the weapons is transferred through the largely-breached Syrian-Lebanese border, into the Bekaa Valley, partially continuing into southern Lebanon, an area under UNIFIL's responsibility.
7. By establishing its military infrastructure within a civilian population, the Hezbollah has shown a lack of concern for the local population's well-being. In general, terrorist organizations such as the Hamas and the Hezbollah present a grave danger to the population or political framework from within which they operate, often opposing local interests.
8. Iran and Syria are increasing the chances of a regional escalation by assisting the Hezbollah through the smuggling. The international community must prevent these countries from nurturing negative regional trends, with an emphasis on the ongoing smuggling.
9. While UNSCR 1701 has helped increase regional stability by partially addressing issues, it has come short in terms of preventing arms smuggling to the Hezbollah. The international community must enforce the embargo called for by UN resolutions.
10. In response to Hezbollah attempts to limit UNIFIL activity, particularly in urban areas, UNIFIL must expand its activity in the urban environment, relying on efficient and determined steps. 
11. As long as the smuggling into Lebanon continues, along with Hezbollah's military build-up, Israel will continue its flights over Lebanon. These flights are necessary in order to gather intelligence on an organization which threatens Israeli security.