Lebanon has the right to defend its land amid systematic Israeli escalation, Mikati told army officials
Beirut: Lebanon is determined to defend its land and sovereignty, Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday.
“We will not hesitate to do so, regardless of the sacrifices,” he said.
Mikati described the regional developments as “alarming”, indicating that the threat level has increased.
He said that “nothing indicates that Israeli arrogance will stop.”
Mikati met with senior officials at the Lebanese army command and warned that “regional developments are concerning.”
He emphasized that the army “remains a firm guarantee for the unity of Lebanon, its territory, people and institutions, uniting around the institution of the army is a national responsibility for all.”
Mikati said that in response to the ongoing and severe Israeli escalation, “we reaffirm our right to defend our land, sovereignty and dignity using all available means.”
He said that “friendly and fraternal nations were informed that we are for peace, not war.
“We seek permanent stability through Israel's commitment to implement UN Resolution 1701 in all its provisions. No Israeli aggression will deter us from that.”
Mikati stressed the importance of deploying troops with the help of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon to “prevent violations of our internationally recognized borders. This is necessary to ensure stability and security for the people of the south.”
He added: “Our right to use the resources in our waters is absolute and not open to negotiation.”
Mikati is the ambassador of the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, France, Britain, China, and Russia) and the non-permanent member states (Algeria, Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea) in Lebanon.
The meeting came against the backdrop of escalating confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah, which reached a climax on Tuesday with the killing of senior Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukra in the heart of Beirut's southern suburbs.
Mikati's media office said the assembled ambassadors reaffirmed Lebanon's “commitment to implementing UN resolutions, especially resolution 1701, as a top priority in the region.”
Lebanon has also filed a complaint with the UN Security Council over Israel's attack on Beirut's southern suburbs.
It said Israel's dangerous expansion has affected densely populated residential areas in violation of international law and the UN Charter.
The funeral of a Syrian mother and her three children, Fatima al-Raja al-Haj and her sons Suleiman, Mohammed and Ahmed al-Haj, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Shamma. Thursday night home.
The number of Syrian civilians killed in the clashes in the south since October 8 has reached 18.
The airstrikes were carried out by Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut during the funeral of Venus.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah vowed to respond to Shukra's killing Thursday evening during his funeral.
He said that Israel “should expect the revenge of the honorable” and that “we have entered a new phase on all support fronts (for Hamas in the Gaza Strip).”
He said Israel had “crossed the red line and had no knowledge of the attack it carried out.”
The Israeli army launched airstrikes on Friday and targeted border towns with artillery including Rab el-Thalathin, Dhayra and Blida, as well as the outskirts of Nakora and Tire Harfa.
Hezbollah announced a series of targets that were within the terms of engagement.
It targeted the Israeli military deployment at the Dhayra site, the Al-Sammaka site in the occupied Lebanese Kafarchouba mountains and the Bayad Blida site with artillery shells.
The party fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at the Matzuva settlement following an Israeli attack on Sham.
