The increasingly volatile geopolitical standoff has raised concerns among the international community, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing unease over the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah.
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun said Tuesday that Lebanon would confront any Israeli aggression “through all means necessary” amid rising concerns over the breakout of a potential conflict between Hezbollah and the Jewish state.
Aoun made his remarks during a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Massoum. Aoun is on an official visit to Iraq to discuss efforts to bolster bilateral ties. His visit comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel over a disputed maritime zone and the construction of an Israeli wall along Lebanon’s southern border.
The increasingly volatile geopolitical standoff has raised concerns among the international community, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing unease over the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah.
On Monday, Guterres said he was worried about a possible conflict, telling reporters that “the level of destruction in Lebanon would be absolutely devastating, so there are major points of concern around this situation.”
Aoun’s visit also touched on the need to maintain a “unified Arab position in the midst of regional turmoil,” as Arab states gear up to take part in the upcoming Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 29th edition of the summit, to be held in March, will seek to promote and strengthen ties between members countries, calling on Arab states to coordinate their policies and promote shared interests.
Touching on terrorist threats, Aoun urged unity among Arab states to eradicate terrorism, while praising Iraq’s success in “liberating the city of Mosul from extremists.”
“We held constructive talks that reflected our shared history, with the focus being on further enhancing our relationship and cooperation,” Aoun said.
Aoun also briefed his Iraqi counterpart on recent Israeli threats against Lebanon.
Israel has escalated its threats after initiating the construction a 23-foot concrete wall along the UN-demarcated blue line, while also blasting Lebanon’s recent offshore gas exploration agreements with a consortium of international energy companies. Israel claims that part of one of the two blocks to be explored falls under its jurisdiction, while Lebanese officials contest these claims.
Amid the inflammatory rhetoric and heightened tensions, U.S. State Secretary Rex Tillerson visited Lebanon last week in an effort to mediate a solution, yet details of the proposed plan were not immediately available.
Experts are of the belief that the plan is based on a previous U.S proposal which seeks to split the disputed 860-sq km, located along the edge of three of the 10 blocks that form Lebanon’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with Lebanon relinquishing around 360-sq km to Israel while retaining around 60 percent of the area.
This prompted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to lambast the U.S administration’s efforts to mediate, labeling it as an “untrustworthy broker,” before urging Lebanese politicians to not let “the devils” divide their ranks.
Nasrallah also threatened to strike Israel’s oil facilities if it doesn’t cease its aggression.
Lebanon’s army commander Joseph Aoun also affirmed Monday his “categorical rejection of the Israeli enemy infringing on Lebanon’s sovereignty and its sacred right to exploit all its economic resources.”
Joseph Aoun took to Twitter to maintain that Lebanon’s army will use all available means to confront any potential “Israeli aggression” no matter the cost, saying that “the army will not spare any method available to confront any Israeli aggression, whatever that costs.”