Beirut (agencies)
French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségornet warned Lebanese officials that Israel might wage war on Lebanon in order to return tens of thousands of its citizens to the border region, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib announced.
Bou Habib said, during a press conference after his meeting with his French counterpart as part of a tour in the region that included Israel: “Sigourney warned us that the Israelis might launch a war, which they believe is 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, the French and the Americans. We want an agreement with them on demarcating the borders.”
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed a daily exchange of bombardments, which has raised international fear of expanding the scope of escalation, and prompted Western officials to visit Beirut and urge calm. The escalation over four months prompted tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border to flee their homes. Israel is pressing to ensure the security of the return of residents of the border area. The day before yesterday, during his meeting with Sigourney, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned that “time is running out” to reach a diplomatic solution in southern Lebanon, and that “Israel will move militarily to return its 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. The resolution prohibited any armed deployment in the border region outside of 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 six to seven 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.”
Yesterday, the French Minister's meetings 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 the day before yesterday from Cairo, and included Israel, Ramallah, and Jordan.
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