Any escalation in southern Lebanon to result in regional explosion: PM Mikati
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has warned that any escalation in southern Lebanon will lead to a “comprehensive explosion” in the region, as exchanges of fire between the Hezbollah resistance movement and Israel continue.
According to Press TV, Mikati made the remarks in a meeting with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell on Saturday, hours after Hezbollah said it had hit an Israeli aerial surveillance base with scores of missiles in its first response to Tel Aviv’s assassination of a deputy political leader of Hamas.
Mikati went on to say that “Lebanon’s commitment to implementing UN resolution number 1701 requires stopping Israel’s violations of our sovereignty and its withdrawal from our Occupied Territories.”
“The full implementation of this resolution requires first stopping Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and withdrawing from the Lebanese territories it still occupies,” he added.
The Lebanese premier further called for “a comprehensive solution” to the israeli-Palestinian conflict by giving the Palestinians their just rights.
The southern Lebanese border has seen regular exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah since Tel Aviv launched its ferocious invasion of Gaza in early October.
Nearly three months of cross-border fire have martyred175 people in Lebanon, including three journalists.
In northern Occupied Territories, at least 13 Israelis, including nine soldiers, have been killed, according to Israeli authorities.
The assassination of Hamas’ Deputy Chief Saleh Al-Arouri by the Israeli regime in southern Beirut on Tuesday has raised fears of further escalation.
Arouri, 57, was one of the founders of the Qassam Brigades before taking on a political portfolio in recent years.
ME
