A map of southern Lebanon distributed by Israel’s UN Mission, Nov. 17, 2020.

Israel’s UN envoy urged the Security Council on Tuesday to take “immediate action” against Iran-backed Hezbollah’s “military buildup and ongoing activities in southern Lebanon.”

In an official letter to the 15-member body, Ambassador Gilad Erdan wrote, “Hezbollah uses human shields to protect its arsenal of more than 130,000 rockets and military infrastructure. It systematically deprives UNIFIL of its ability to discharge its mandate by restricting the organization’s freedom of movement in an effort to hide its activity.”

“The Security Council must immediately declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization and prevent it from receiving any direct or indirect assistance,” he went on to say.

The letter was sent in the wake of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres submission of a quarterly report on the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which brought the Second Lebanon War to an end in 2006.

The report noted that Hezbollah’s military buildup violated Resolution 1701 and called on Lebanon’s government to ensure the disarmament of all armed groups in the country.