Lebanon condemned an Israeli “aggression” after two drones on Sunday targeted the Beirut stronghold of the Iran-backed Shia group Hezbollah, warning of further regional tensions.
Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, is a major political actor in Lebanon and a key backer of the Damascus regime in war-torn Syria.
#Lebanon condemned an Israeli "aggression" after two drones targeted the Beirut stronghold of the #Iran-backed group Hezbollah, warning of further regional tensions. https://t.co/Nyj9byk4xA
— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) August 25, 2019
The early morning incident in south Beirut came hours after Israel said it had conducted airstrikes in neighboring Syria to prevent an Iranian force from launching an attack on Israel.
A war monitor said the air raids in the southeast of Damascus killed two Hezbollah members and one Iranian among five fighters.
The Shia movement and Israel have upped their belligerent rhetoric in recent months, after fighting several wars the last of which was in 2006.
RIA Novosti with reference to an informed source at Beirut International Airport: “Four Israeli Air Force aircraft invaded Lebanese airspace" https://t.co/TgeSr2laiq
— Matthew Borie (@phxasc) August 25, 2019
Lebanon’s army said “two drones belonging to the Israeli enemy violated Lebanese airspace… over the southern suburbs of Beirut”, a Hezbollah stronghold in the capital.
“The first fell while the second exploded in the air causing material damage,” he said.
Questioned by AFP, the Israeli army declined to comment on the Lebanese claim about the drones.
#Lebanon Lebanese Politicians React to Israeli Drone Attack #Naharnet https://t.co/O2MV36bQXq
— Eye On Lebanon (@EyesOnLebanon) August 25, 2019
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, said the drone incursion targeted “stability and peace in Lebanon and the region”.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is one of the Shia group’s most prominent political opponents, condemned a “blatant attack on Lebanon’s sovereignty”.
#Lebanon warns #Israel against blatant aggression https://t.co/llhPwvGc2f
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) August 25, 2019
Hariri said:
“This new aggression… forms a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation towards more tension.”
Hariri also charged that it was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)
