Lebanon is intensifying efforts to avert any consequences of the Israeli-Iranian war and avoid dragging the country to a new conflict under the pretext of “supporting” Iran.
Hezbollah had launched a “support front” with Gaza by launching attacks on Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ Al-Aqsa Flood Operation that sparked the ongoing war on Palestinian enclave.
Lebanese authorities are exerting efforts to distance the country from the latest conflict under the slogan “No new support war ... this is not our battle”.
Contacts are being held on the highest levels with countries with influence to avert any escalation in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.
Internally, technical and security measures are being taken. Cutting short a trip to the Vatican, President Joseph Aoun held a meeting on Saturday morning with security leaders.
He met with concerned ministers to discuss the latest security developments as a result of the confrontation between Iran and Israel, said a presidency statement.
The meeting tackled the measures Lebanon needs to take to address the impact of the conflict and aviation at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, it added.
Several measures have been taken to maintain stability in Lebanon and secure civil aviation, it said.
Aoun urged security authorities to remain on alert to maintain stability and security. Meetings will remain open to assess the developments as they unfold, said the statement.
The meeting included Minister of Defense Michel Menassa, Minister of Interior Ahmed al-Hajjar, Minister of Transportation and Public Works Fayez Rasamny, army commander Rodolphe Haykal, Internal Security Forces chief Raed Abdallah, General Security chief Hassan Choucair and others.
Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that official efforts are operating on the technical and security levels and by holding contacts with foreign parties.
The technical efforts are focused on the airport and safety of aviation whereby flights will be halted whenever danger is detected and in coordination with regional countries, namely Syria and Jordan, they explained.
On the security level, efforts are focused on preventing Lebanon from being dragged into the conflict, with emphasis that no new “support front” will be opened in the South. Priority will be on “preemptive security intelligence,” said the sources.
Patrols along the border will be intensified and coordination will continue between the security forces so that they remain on alert for any possible emergency and prevent any security breach, they stressed.
The sources said they were optimistic that Hezbollah will not become involved in the conflict, adding that the Iran-backed party seems “aware of the consequences of any intervention.”
The danger lies in the Hamas group and other Palestinian factions that may want to attack Israel. Contacts are taking place with the concerned parties to deter them from taking any risky move, such as firing rockets at Israel from the South the way Hamas had done in the past, said the sources.
On the external level, contacts had kicked off from the moment the attack on Iran had taken place with American and French officials, with Lebanon asserting that it is not involved in the conflict and will not be a battleground for others, revealed the sources.
Efforts are underway to keep Lebanon away from the fight, they said.
The Lebanese government - through the army - had informed Hezbollah as soon as the conflict erupted that there was no need to involve Lebanon in the fight.
