BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday that Israel had informed UNIFIL of its desire to curb any escalation with Lebanon, hours after a Hezbollah revenge attack killed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied Shebaa Farms.
Berri told his visitors Friday that Israel informed UNIFIL that it had no interest in escalation if Hezbollah showed restraint.
Berri, who was informed of Israel’s willingness to maintain calm by the Lebanese Army, also announced that Israel said that it could implement a ceasefire within 20 minutes.
“Israel knocked on the door and got their answer,” Berri said, in reference to a Hezbollah revenge attack that killed two Israel soldiers in the Shebaa Farms Wednesday.
The attack, which came in retaliation to an Israeli airstrike that killed six Hezbollah fighters and a top Iranian general in Syria’s Golan Heights on Jan. 18, “is not a violation of resolution 1701,” he said, referencing the agreement that ended Lebanon’s 2006 war with Israel. “It is a calculated and clean operation that took place on occupied Lebanese territory.”
The speaker noted intense coordination between his office and that of the prime minister, the Army, UNIFIL, the United States and the United Nations in the aftermath of the attack.
Berri reiterated that the Nusra Front had seized territories in Syria’s Golan Heights, noting that Israel had assisted the jihadi group capture the territory.
Israeli assistance offered to the Nusra Front involved direct attacks on Syrian military position paired with logistical support, Berri said, noting that Israel was using Syrian rebel positions as a line of defense along the border from Shebaa to the Syrian town of Deraa.
The threat posed by terrorist groups, according to Berri, serves as “a new direct and dangerous violation of the rules of engagement in the Golan heights.” This reality prompted the Hezbollah convoy which was targeted by the Israeli airstrike to inspect the area, he added.
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