Israel Adamant Over Hezbollah Disarming

Israel is prepared to disarm the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group if U.N. peacekeeping forces can’t or won’t, the Jerusalem Post reports.

An official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office, who asked not to be identified, told the newspaper the U.N. cease-fire that went into effect Monday calls for disarmament but lacks teeth based on remarks by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who said Tuesday dismantling Hezbollah is not the direct mandate of the U.N.

The official told the newspaper Israel would not turn a blind eye to Hezbollah simply hiding its weapons.

The resolution is clear that Hezbollah needs to be removed from the border area, embargoed and dismantled, the official said. If the resolution is not implemented, we will have to take action to prevent the rearming of Hezbollah.

Israeli troops fought militants in southern Lebanon for a month until Monday’s cease-fire, and more than 1,000 people died.

Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni flew to New York for a meeting with Annan and later, U.S. officials, the report said.