BEIRUT: Lebanese and international leaders reacted to Hezbollah’s ambush of an Israeli military convoy in the occupied Shebaa Farms Wednesday, with some condemning it outright and others suggesting the party had overstepped its mandate by potentially forcing the country into an unwanted conflict.
The attack, for which Hezbollah has claimed responsibility, killed at least two Israeli soldiers and injured seven others. Retaliatory fire from Israel also led to the death of one Spanish peacekeeper in UNIFIL.
The move was largely seen as retaliation for a Jan. 18 Israeli airstrike targeting a Hezbollah party convoy in the Syrian Golan Heights town of Qunaitra which killed six party fighters and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander.
The Lebanese Cabinet: The government is committed to United Nations resolutions ensuring peace between the two countries, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Wednesday, calling on the international community to mobilize to prevent any further attacks by Israel against Lebanon.
“Israeli escalation in the border area could open the door to dangerous possibilities that will not serve peace and stability in the region,” he said, adding that the danger posed by Israel could only be fought through national unity and solidarity.
“Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 in all its clauses, and its appreciation of the efforts exerted by UNIFIL peacekeepers, who suffered the loss of one of their members from the Spanish battalion today [Wednesday].”
Resolution 1701 put an end to the 2006 summer war between Lebanon and Israel.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry echoed Salam’s sentiments, adding that Hezbollah’s attack did not amount to a violation of the 2006 deal because it targeted an Israeli military convoy inside the Shebaa Farms, which is considered occupied Lebanese territory.
Future Movement:Lebanon’s security and safety is ensured by total adherence to U.N Resolution 1701, the Future Movement parliamentary bloc, which is headed by Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, said in a statement.
“[The bloc] repeats its warning of the aggressive intentions and targets of the Israeli enemy, and considers that Lebanon’s safety should be at the forefront of the interests of all Lebanese factions.”
The bloc re-emphasized that the Cabinet was the only entity entitled to take “crucial and national decisions” in cases of war and peace, as per the Constitution.
“The bloc asks the Lebanese government to make the necessary calls in order to convene an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council and look into the volatile situation in the southern Lebanese borders.”
The Future Bloc also offered its condolences for the fallen Spanish UNIFIL peacekeeper.
Separately, Future Movement MP Samir Jisr said the Hezbollah attack would not affect ongoing dialogue between his group and the party and that the date of the fifth session, scheduled for Monday, would remain unchanged
“There are differences with Hezbollah on several issues, most importantly the decision of war and peace ... but this will not hinder attempts to reduce sectarian tension or solve the presidential crisis,” Jisr told the Central News Agency.
“From the beginning, we decided that dialogue would address these two issues and we put major disputed issues aside.”
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt“It seems that we have entered a phase of big troubles,” Jumblatt tweeted. The MP said “relevant precautions” should be taken to stand in the face of any potential Israeli aggression against Lebanon.
Lebanese Forces leader
Samir Geagea Hezbollah is the sole party responsible for any possible Israeli response, Geagea said, adding: “Today’s development indicates that Hezbollah is further and further expanding its regional schemes against the Lebanese state.”
The LF leader said Hezbollah was to blame if Lebanon is drawn into a war with Israel.
“Hezbollah has no right to implicate the Lebanese people in a battle with Israel. There is a government and a Parliament which can decide on that,” Geagea said .
Former President Michel Sleiman Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to drag Lebanon into a confrontation to serve his election interests, Sleiman cautioned .
“Israel should not be allowed to take advantage of Lebanese divisions,” he said, urging political forces to stand behind the government.
“Political forces should back the government and reinforce its position to give Lebanon [greater] immunity in order to overcome this difficult period,” he stressed.
Marada Movement leader
Sleiman Frangieh “Lebanon’s strength is in its resistance and not with those weak in their souls,” Frangieh tweeted, using the hashtag, Shebaa Farms.
Former Minister Faisal Karami “The relevant response at the relevant time and relevant place,” Karami said of Hezbollah’s ambush.
“The time of impunity for Israel is over. Now [the Israelis] need to review calculations, absorb defeat and run to shelters,” he added.
United States:“We urge all parties to refrain from any action that could escalate the situation,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that the U.S. did not agree with the “act of violence” and was calling for calm.
Iran:Iran’s Revolutionary Guard expressed solidarity with its Hezbollah ally, vowing to “stand beside the resistance against the Zionists.”
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag Lebanese and Israel should exercise self-restraint, Kaag said.
Kaag called on both countries to refrain from taking any action that could further destabilize the situation along the Blue Line, urging all parties to continue abiding by their obligations under Resolution 1701.
Hamas:“This response for the crimes of the [Israeli] occupation, the last of which was the Qunaitra crime, comes as part of the natural right to respond for the reoccurring Zionist aggressions,” read a statement by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s Lebanese branch.
Hamas praised Hezbollah’s move, suggesting that such strong responses would stop the enemy and put an end to its plans.
Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, also described Hezbollah’s attack as “a legitimate response to Israel’s crimes.”
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