By Idiris Okuduci
BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt urged Israeli Druze citizens and conscripts on Sunday not to participate in hostilities in the Palestinian territories.
In a statement on X, Jumblatt asked Druze Arabs not to take part in such conflicts.
“The march of history, no matter how long it takes, goes hand in hand with the freedom of peoples, and the day will come when Palestine and its sanctities will return to their Arab owners,” he said.
On Saturday, Jumblatt issued statements in support of the attacks launched by the Palestinian Hamas group against Israel.
Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood early Saturday, saying it was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.
In retaliation, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas, launching air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Fighting continued into its second day on Sunday and Israel declared a state of war.