The UN secretary-general made the comments on Friday during a visit to the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), located in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura.

Guterres also said that the continuation of Israeli “occupation” within the UNIFIL area of operations and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and pose a continued risk to the safety and security of forces stationed there, therefore, “they must stop.”

According to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces are entitled to operate in southern Lebanon.

Guterres’ visit comes ahead of the January 26 deadline for the full implementation of the November 27 ceasefire between the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah and the Israeli regime.

It is worth mentioning that a supervisory committee, comprising representatives from Lebanon, the Israeli regime, France, the US, and UNIFIL is tasked with reporting any violations of Resolution 1701.