UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Hezbollah’s decision to send
an unmanned aerial vehicle into Israeli airspace earlier this month could risk
stability in Lebanon by prompting Israeli retaliation.
On October 6,
Israeli fighter jets shot down an Iranian-made Hezbollah UAV that flew over the
Negev and was believed to have been sent to gather intelligence.
Former
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora claimed that the UAV that flew over Israel
was sent at Iran’s behest, and that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did not
consult with the Lebanese government before sending the drone.
In a
report released Thursday on the status of UN Security Council Resolution 1559,
Ban urged Hezbollah to cease any military activities inside or outside of
Lebanon, calling Hezbollah’s launch of the drone into Israel “a reckless
provocation.”
Resolution 1559, passed in 2004, called on Syria to
withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Additionally, it called for the disbanding of
all militias and for the extension of the Lebanese government’s control over all
Lebanese territory.
Israeli officials have said that given Hezbollah’s
participation in the Lebanese government, Jerusalem would consider reacting to
any Hezbollah attack on Israel with retaliation against the Lebanese
state.
Ban also called on the Israel Air Force to stop its daily flights
of fighter jets as well as UAVs over Lebanese airspace.
“These
overflights are violations of Lebanese sovereignty,” Ban said. “I have deplored
them and demanded that they cease immediately,” he added.