French Foreign Minister Sejourne visits Lebanon to deliver warning
Lebanon demands “complete withdrawal of these forces from our territory”
So far, 250 people, including Hezbollah, have been killed in Lebanon due to fighting.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said on the 6th (local time) that the Israeli government is threatening war with Lebanon to allow 100,000 people who fled from the Lebanese border settlements to return to them.
According to a report by Lebanon’s state-run NNA news agency, he told reporters after meeting with French Foreign Minister Stéphanie Sejournay, who was visiting Lebanon, that the French foreign minister conveyed Israel’s warning that it would intensify fighting in the Lebanese region on Israel’s northern border.
Minister Bou Habib said he told Minister Sejourne that “Lebanon does not want war, but rather wants to agree to comply with UN Resolution 1701, which stipulates the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territory.”
He said, “If that is done, the problems of security and war between us and Israel will end.” “If that happens, the only problem left between the two countries will be the Palestine issue,” he said.
Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati also met with French Foreign Minister Séjournay. Minister Sejourne said the purpose of his visit was to request that Lebanon suspend military operations in order to maintain peace in Lebanon’s southern border area.
On the 6th, as Hezbollah and the Israeli army clashed again in the border area, the Israeli Air Force bombed villages in Lebanon including Tair Harfa, Hula, and Marwahin, Lebanon’s NNA news agency reported.
Hezbollah also announced that it bombed Rowaisat al-Alam, where Israeli surveillance equipment was located, and then attacked al-Marji, Kparchuba, Sheba, and Lamim military bases.
On the border between Israel and Lebanon, fighting has continued as Israel continues shelling southeastern Lebanon since Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into Israel on October 8 to support Hamas’ surprise operation the day before.
Fighting between both sides has resulted in 250 deaths so far on the Lebanese side alone. Of them, 179 were Hezbollah members and 39 were civilians, Xinhua news agency reported, citing sources in the Lebanese security forces.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.