UNIFIL talks security with Hariri

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The United Nations remains committed to monitoring the security situation along the southern border with Lebanon, top peacekeepers said.

Italian Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano, the commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to discuss his the collaboration of the peacekeeping mission and the Lebanese military.

Graziano stressed the importance of working together to ensure the mandate of a 2006 cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 helped broker a cease-fire to the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. Hezbollah is obligated under the terms of the agreement to surrender its weapons while Israel is reminded of its pledges to respect Lebanese sovereignty.

Border tensions between Lebanon and Israel escalated during the summer. Israel complains Hezbollah is preparing for war, while Lebanon points to repeated violations of its airspace and territorial waters.

Michael Williams, the U.N. special envoy for Lebanon, notes that Hezbollah has yet to disarm but warned "almost daily" flights by the Israeli military into Lebanon are problematic.