BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The Israeli government said it is concerned for the safety of its villagers living on the Israeli side of a border village as Washington calls for a solution.
Israeli forces took control of the border village of Ghajar during a 2006 war with Hezbollah. Israel has since refused to leave without security arrangements that would prevent Hezbollah from launching another attack.
U.N. officials said they wanted their peacekeepers and Lebanese soldiers to replace the Israeli troops operating in parts of Ghajar that encroach on Hezbollah's turf in south Lebanon.
If Israeli troops leave, they would enter into compliance with U.N. resolutions, though Israel said it was concerned about the safety of its citizens in Ghajar, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Washington called on Israel to pull out of the region and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in December he was willing to discuss the issue.
Border tensions between Israel and Lebanon remain tense. A decision in Beirut to allow Hezbollah to maintain its weapons in violation of the 2006 cease-fire is used as justification by Israel to maintain a defensive posture.
Andrew Tabler with the conservative Washington Institute for Near East Policy told the Journal the decision could empower Hezbollah, which gained clout following the 2006 war.
Beirut, however, said daily violations of the cease-fire by Israeli forces give it the right to be wary of any Israeli actions.
