Israel must vacate certain areas along the border with Lebanon, according to Hezbollah.

Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, reportedly said last week that Israel must withdraw from certain areas along the border with Lebanon. He made explicit reference to the town of Ghajar.

In a statement broadcast on television to mark the 17th anniversary of the 34-day conflict between Lebanon and Israel in 2006, Nasrallah said that “liberating Ghajar is the responsibility of the Lebanese people, state, and resistance.” He noted that Israel had completed enclosing the northern portion of Ghajar with a wall and transformed it into a tourist destination.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which forbade access to the northern section of Ghajar, was flagrantly violated, according to a warning issued by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry on July 4 over Israel’s attempt to expand the occupation zone. Hezbollah claimed earlier this month that Israel had taken over the whole community.

On July 10, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib emphasized that Israel should leave Ghajar. The Lebanese government reported to the UN the next day that Israel had totally captured the hamlet. According to the Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Israel committed 18 border sovereignty breaches against Lebanon.

Israel took control of Ghajar in the Golan Heights after the 1967 conflict. In 1981, it unilaterally annexed the region.

In 2000, Israeli soldiers left Lebanon, leaving behind the northern portion of Ghajar, while they kept control over the southern portion. Israel opened the Lebanese hamlet to Israeli visitors in November of last year after it had been a military zone for 22 years.