‘Wary chances’ to prevent Israeli war on Lebanon, prime minister says

By Wassim Seif El Din

BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday there are “wary chances” for diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing an Israeli war on the country amid growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

"There are wary chances for the diplomacy that is mobilizing to prevent war and halt the Israeli aggressions," Mikati said at a cabinet session to discuss a government emergency plan to confront any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon.

He said after more than 10 months of the Israeli war on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon, the country is "still paying a hefty price."

Mikati reiterated Lebanon’s "literal" commitment to the application of UN Resolution 1701, which calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.

The Lebanese premier vowed that his government will employ all its "capacities and friendships to protect" the country, stressing that Israel's "intransigence is threatening the war cessation efforts."

Fears have grown about a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid a months-long exchange of cross-border fire, especially with Hezbollah threatening military retaliation after the assassination of its top commander Fouad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on July 30.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of an Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,000 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar