Mikati: Lebanon Keen to Steer Clear of Repercussions of Escalation in Palestinian Territories

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with Army Commander Joseph Aoun at the Grand Serail in Beirut on Monday. (Dalati & Nohra)
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with Army Commander Joseph Aoun at the Grand Serail in Beirut on Monday. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Mikati: Lebanon Keen to Steer Clear of Repercussions of Escalation in Palestinian Territories

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with Army Commander Joseph Aoun at the Grand Serail in Beirut on Monday. (Dalati & Nohra)
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with Army Commander Joseph Aoun at the Grand Serail in Beirut on Monday. (Dalati & Nohra)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed on Monday that Beirut was keen on steering clear of the repercussions of the escalation in the Palestinian territories.

His remarks were the first official statements since Hezbollah fired rockets towards the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms on Sunday.

He stressed that the government’s priority was to preserve security and stability in the South and commit to United Nations Security Council resolution 1701.

A statement from his press office said the PM held local, Arab and international contacts to stress his government’s position and the need for calm to be maintained along the Blue Line that borders Israel.

He also demanded an end to the constant Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and its withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories.

“Friendly and fraternal countries underlined their keenness on keeping Lebanon away from the explosive situation in the Palestinian territories,” added the statement.

Fortifying Lebanon against these regional developments demands the immediate election of a new president of the republic and an end to the current political tensions, it continued.

“The threat to Lebanon would not target one segment of society or one political movement, but it will have dangerous repercussions on all the people and the situation in the country as a whole,” Mikati said according to the statement.

“Given the regional tensions, it is no longer acceptable for internal divisions and tensions to persist,” he added, calling an end to incitement and stressing the need for unity as Lebanon and the region wade through “one of the most dangerous phases” they have ever seen.

Moreover, he remarked that the developments in the Palestinian territories were an “inevitable culmination of the Israeli enemy’s policies towards the Palestinian people,” who are demanding their legitimate rights.

The first step towards the solution to the conflict lies with the international community assuming its responsibilities in pressuring Israel to return to peace based on the Arab peace initiative that was declared from Beirut in 2002, he went on to say.

Anything other than this will continue the cycle of violence that benefits no one, he warned.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib echoed Mikati’s comments, saying: “We don’t want Lebanon to become embroiled in the war.”

The PM is carrying out several contacts to that end, he added after talks with Mikati. “All international powers are also urging us to refrain from becoming dragged to war and this is also Lebanon’s position.”

He said he briefed Mikati on the Arab League meeting that will be held in Cairo to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Mikati also met on Monday with Army Commander Joseph Aoun to discuss the security situation.



UN Agency Says Israel Shuts 4 Schools in East Jerusalem

A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Agency Says Israel Shuts 4 Schools in East Jerusalem

A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says Israeli forces raided four of its schools in east Jerusalem, ordering their closure.

Israel has severed all ties with the agency, known as UNRWA, and bars it from operating in its territory. It says the agency allowed itself to be infiltrated by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, allegations denied by UN officials.

UNRWA said police entered a training center by force on Tuesday, firing tear gas and sound grenades and ordering its evacuation. It said 350 students and 30 staff were present during the raid on the Qalandiya Training Center.

It said police and city officials ordered the closure of three other schools in east Jerusalem, two of which proceeded with the school day.

Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne said police did not enter the UN buildings and that Jerusalem municipal authorities carried out the closures. He said police were deployed to protect the city workers, using “riot dispersal” means in one case where a crowd threw stones at them outside a UN facility.

Roland Friedrich, UNRWA director for the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, said the raids were an “unacceptable violation of United Nations privileges and immunities,” and a “denial of the right to education for children and trainees.”