The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers patrol on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the Kafr Kila area, east of southern Lebanon, on Oct. 16, 2023. The Israeli-Lebanese border has seen an escalation of tensions since last week as Hezbollah fired tens of rockets at Israeli military sites on Oct. 8 in support of an onslaught by the Gaza-ruling Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel on Oct. 7. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday said opening a war front in southern Lebanon is "of no one's interest," and assured he is in contact with different local parties and international leaders to ensure Lebanon's stability.
"It's of no one's interest to open a front from southern Lebanon because the Lebanese are unable to bear the repercussions of a new war," a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers quoted Mikati as saying.
Mikati said his cabinet is working for peace while the decision to go to war is in Israel's hands, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its provocations.
The prime minister also called on Lebanese political parties to unite in electing a new president for the republic and forming a new cabinet to allow it to work on solving the country's multiple crises and enable it to face the repercussions of war in Gaza.
The situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border escalated after Hezbollah fired on Oct. 8 tens of rockets toward military sites in Shebaa Farms in support of the "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" launched by Hamas on Oct. 7, prompting the Israeli forces to respond by firing heavy artillery, targeting several areas in southeast Lebanon.
The fire exchange between Lebanon and Israel continued for the past week, with local authorities calling for stability on the border to shield Lebanon from war. ■
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers patrol on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the Kafr Kila area, east of southern Lebanon, on Oct. 16, 2023. The Israeli-Lebanese border has seen an escalation of tensions since last week as Hezbollah fired tens of rockets at Israeli military sites on Oct. 8 in support of an onslaught by the Gaza-ruling Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel on Oct. 7. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers patrol on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the Kafr Kila area, east of southern Lebanon, on Oct. 16, 2023. The Israeli-Lebanese border has seen an escalation of tensions since last week as Hezbollah fired tens of rockets at Israeli military sites on Oct. 8 in support of an onslaught by the Gaza-ruling Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel on Oct. 7. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)
