Lebanese Minister: Israel Uses New Assassination Schemes In Lebanon

Lebanese army soldiers stand together in Adaisseh village near the Lebanese-Israeli border [Aziz Taher/Reuters]

Several parties welcomed on Thursday the Lebanese Army’s firing at Israeli drones in the southern village of Adaisseh after they violated Lebanese airspace.

“What the Army did at the Adaisseh army position proves there is no need for any Lebanese armed organization to do the job,” an ambassador of a major power told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The ambassador, whose country belongs to the International Support Group for Lebanon, said that the Lebanese Army must now be equipped to play a stronger role in defending the border.

“I am discussing with my colleagues at the Support Group that we propose to our countries the idea of holding a conference in Rome to tackle the possibility of providing the Lebanese Army with advanced weapons, which are needed to allow them to achieve their mission at the border with Israel,” the ambassador said.

He added that this conference should include foreign and interior ministers, in addition to Army commanders.

The International Support Group includes the UN and the governments of China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the UK, and the US, together with the EU and the Arab League. It was launched in September 2013 by the UN Secretary-General and former President Michel Suleiman to help mobilize support and assistance for Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty and state institutions.

Separately, a Lebanese minister said that in its war against Lebanon, Israel is currently using a new system of assassination, through booby-trapped reconnaissance aircraft, instead of using its fighter jets.

The minister praised the Army’s decision to fire at Israeli drones in southern Lebanon two days ago after they violated Lebanese airspace. However, he asked: “What if the Israeli warplanes attacked the position from where the Lebanese Army fired?”

The minister added: “If ongoing diplomatic efforts fail to contain the security situation, we would ignore what will be the reaction of the enemy.”

In this regard, a Russian diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is currently holding talks with Israel and Iran to urge them to stop the escalation and remain calm.

The diplomat said that any failure to contain the security situation in Lebanon might lead to a large-scale military confrontation that would overpass Israel and Lebanon, and instead involve Iranian positions in Syria and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and Syria.