Lebanon decries violations of its airspace after Iran attack on Israel
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, declared on Monday that his country rejected the violation of its airspace by Israel.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of Israeli aggressions,” Mikati said, adding that further violations could not be tolerated.
It was the first official Lebanese statement following the Iranian attacks against Israel on Saturday night, and came as Mikati was addressing a broad ministerial meeting on Monday.
“We call on the international community to carry responsibility for these attacks. We always submit complaints before the (UN) Security Council over this matter,” he said. Mikati also warned that Israel “is dragging the region into war, and the international community must take note of this and put an end to this war.”
Several Iranian drones flew over Lebanon the night of the attacks against Israel.
Fireballs were seen falling from the sky as the drones were intercepted, and several explosions were heard over Tripoli, northern Bekaa on the Syrian border, the coastal city of Dbayeh, the southern city of Tyre and the capital Beirut.
The Ministry of Public Works announced on the night of the attack “the closure of the Lebanese airspace to all incoming, outgoing, and transit flights over Lebanon, temporarily and as a precaution, from 1 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday.” Mikati pointed out that “through the contacts we are making, we realize that Lebanon has friends in the world who defend it and make every effort to pressure Israel to stop its aggression and prevent the escalation of confrontations.”
The ministerial meeting recommended to the Cabinet — which will convene in 10 days — “the creation of a committee that would develop a methodology for surveying damage and identifying needs in the southern border region that is subject to Israeli hostilities, in addition to presenting proposals for funding the reconstruction process.”
The meeting called on the relevant ministries to “verify the shortcomings of foodstuffs, supplies, and fuel, as well as the normal and proper availability of the supply chain.” Mohammed Abu Haidar, director general of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, said: “Regarding food security, supplies are highly available. Food products are available for (the next) three months. Flour is available for around a month, and a new shipment will arrive in 12 days.” He added that gasoline and diesel “are available, and there are no issues at the market or supply levels.”
On Monday morning, the southern front witnessed a new development in the course of Hezbollah’s operations against the Israeli military.
Israeli media said four soldiers were injured in an explosion on the border — one of them severely and two moderately.
Hezbollah said that “when a force from the Israeli Golani Brigade crossed the border and reached a site of explosives, one detonated, resulting in deaths and injuries.” The party said that “after closely monitoring the Israeli forces’ movements, Hezbollah members planted explosive devices in the Tal Ismail area adjacent to the border with Palestine and detonated them when the soldiers reached them.” Correspondents in the border region said Tal Ismail — located between Dhayra and Alma Al-Shaab — “is a geographically exposed area controlled by the Israeli Army by fire, visibility, and other means of examination.”
Israeli military radio confirmed the explosion, saying it “targeted a force from the Golani unit and the Yahalom engineering unit while they were working on the fence in the western region on the border with Lebanon.”
It said that the explosion took place inside Lebanese territory. An Israeli Army spokesperson said an Israeli soldier was seriously wounded during an operation in the border area in the north of the country.
Two Israeli soldiers suffered moderate injuries, and an explosion of unknown origin lightly wounded another.
The spokesperson added that the incident was being investigated. Israeli attacks on the border area escalated Monday morning, and warplanes carried out five raids on the outskirts of the towns of Dhayra, Naqoura, and Alma Al-Shaab.
The assault led to the road between Alma Al-Shaab and Dhayra being cut off as a result of a huge crater, which was later filled by the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL.
Israeli warplanes carried out mock raids over villages in the Tyre district and along the coast. On Sunday night, an Israeli airstrike on a house in the town of Seddiqine destroyed it and caused serious material damage to dozens of surrounding buildings. Nine people were injured in the blast.