Israel pleased with UN statement on Lebanon

Israel expressed satisfaction Sunday at a UN Security Council statement issued on Friday that voiced grave concern at persistent reports that the arms embargo along the Lebanese-Syrian border had been breached and that militias in Lebanon were re-arming. The statement, which also took Israel to task for over flights in Lebanon and called for the immediate return of the kidnapped IDF soldiers, comes two weeks before the Security Council is set to extend the mandate of the UNIFIL force there. According to Israeli sources, the statement reiterated the UN's commitment to the terms of the original mandate, something that Israel viewed positively on the eve of renewing UNIFIL'S mandate. Overall, Israel is pleased with the presence of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, and is expected to back renewing the forces mandate for another year.