Lebanese prime minister urges international community to condemn Israeli ‘massacres’

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the international community on Saturday to take a clear stance on what he called “horrific Israeli massacres” in Lebanon.

“I had intended to travel to New York as part of intensifying Lebanese diplomatic efforts during the UN General Assembly to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and the massacres being committed by the enemy,” Mikati said in a statement.

“In light of the developments related to the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, I decided to cancel my trip,” he added.

“There is no priority at present that surpasses stopping the massacres committed by the Israeli enemy and the multiple types of wars it is waging,” Mikati reaffirmed.

The Lebanese premier called on “the international community and human conscience to take a clear position on these horrific massacres and to enact international laws to protect civilian technological means from being targeted.”

At least 38 people, including children and women, were killed and dozens injured in a deadly Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb on Friday.

Hezbollah confirmed that at least 16 of its members, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and top commander Ahmed Wahbi, were killed in the Israeli strike.

The attack came two days after at least 39 people were killed and over 3,000 others injured in two waves of wireless communication device explosions across Lebanon.

While the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the explosions, Tel Aviv has not denied or confirmed its involvement.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul