PM: Israeli threats of war will not deter Lebanese from defending land

Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati holds a news conference after the Council of Ministers Meeting on the chronic electricity problem in the country, in Beirut, Lebanon on January 18, 2023. [Lebanese Prime Ministry – Anadolu Agency]

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said yesterday the Israeli threats against Beirut and intimidation will not deter the Lebanese people from holding onto their right to their land and defending it by all legitimate means.

Tension escalated on Saturday after a missile attack on a football field in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights killed 12 children and minors. Israel blamed Hezbollah for the strike, however the group has categorically denied responsibility saying the missile was a result of the misfiring of Israeli defence systems. Tel Aviv vowed a strong blow to Lebanon in retaliation and struck Beirut last night killing a senior Hezbollah commander.

According to the statement, Mikati stressed that “Lebanon condemns all forms of violence, especially attacks on civilians.” and demand an end to the Israeli aggression on southern Lebanon and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, emphasising that a detailed response to the Israeli claims and accusations will be sent to the Security Council.

“It is surprising that the Israeli enemy, which is waging a relentless war against the Palestinians, killing, destroying and displacing them, claims to mourn the Arab victims who fell in an Arab region occupied by Israel and threatens and intimidates, knowing that the full circumstances of what happened are still unknown,” the statement read.

Mikati thanked Arab and foreign countries that expressed their solidarity with Lebanon in the face of the Israeli threats and “their tireless efforts to stop the Israeli aggression against it”.

Foreign ministries of Arab and Western countries have advised their nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon and to leave it or take special safety measures if they remain there, in anticipation of an expected Israeli strike.

The strike on Beirut comes a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington and addressed Congress.

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