French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségornet warned Lebanese officials that Israel “might wage war on Lebanon,” in order to return tens of thousands of Israelis to the northern border region.
During a press conference after his meeting with his French counterpart as part of a tour to the region that included Israel, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said: “We (Sigournet) warned that the Israelis might launch a war, which they consider to return (the residents of the northern region)” to their homes.
He continued: “We told the French that we do not want a war with Israel, but rather we want an agreement through the United Nations, France and the United States. We want an agreement with them on (demarcating) the borders.”
Since the outbreak of the Israeli war in Gaza on October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed a daily exchange of bombing between Hezbollah and Israel, which has raised international fear of an expansion of the scope of escalation, and prompted Western officials to visit Beirut and urge calm.
Hezbollah announces that it is targeting Israeli military sites and points in support of Gaza, while the Israeli army responds with air and artillery bombardment, through which it says it is targeting the party’s “infrastructure.”
Later, a source close to Sigourney told Agence France-Presse that he came to Beirut “carrying diplomatic initiatives to avoid escalation” between the two countries.
According to the source, Sigourney urged the parties concerned to “give clear signals about their commitment to security and peace in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.”
Implementation of Resolution 1701
The escalation over the course of 4 months prompted tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border to flee their homes. Israel is pressing to remove Hezbollah from its northern borders, in order to ensure the return of residents of the border areas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned, on Monday, during his meeting with Sigourney, that “time is running out” to reach a diplomatic solution in southern Lebanon, and that “Israel will move militarily to return the citizens who were evacuated from their homes” to its northern region.
Several local and international bodies, most notably Washington, called for the necessity of implementing Security Council Resolution (1701), which strengthened the deployment of the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon following the end of the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. The decision prohibited any armed deployment in the border area outside the army and UNIFIL forces.
Bou Habib reiterated the position of the Lebanese authorities regarding adherence to the full implementation of Resolution (1701). He said in response to a question about the demands of the Lebanese side: “We say, ‘Help us to recruit about 6 to 7 thousand’ people into the ranks of the army.”
He continued: “We ask for it and we are welcomed,” explaining: “We want an additional number in order to place them in the south, and the French are very interested in the matter,” denying that this has anything to do with Israel’s demand for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the border region.
The French minister’s meetings, on Tuesday, included caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Army Commander Joseph Aoun. His visit to Beirut came as part of his first tour in the region since his appointment to his position, which he began on Monday from Cairo, and included Israel, Ramallah, and Jordan.
Since the start of the escalation, the Israeli army has killed 226 people in Lebanon, including 166 Hezbollah fighters and 26 civilians, including 3 journalists, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse. In Israel, the army counted the deaths of 9 soldiers and 6 civilians.
2024-02-06 19:35:48
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