Lebanese President: Israeli Drone Strike Declaration of War

Beirut, MINA – Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the Israeli drone strike on Beirut at the weekend was a “declaration of war” which justified the military response.

“What happened was a declaration of war,” Michel Aoun told Jan Kubis, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, at a meeting on Monday (26/8), Al Jazeera reported.

“This allows us to exercise our right to maintain our sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity,” he added, in a statement issued by his office.

On the same day, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his government wanted to avoid escalation with Israel, but the international community must reject Israel’s “overt violation” of Lebanese sovereignty.

“The Lebanese government sees the best way to avoid the situation towards a dangerous escalation, but this requires the international community to reiterate its rejection of this blatant violation,” Hariri told the ambassador of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, his office said.

An allegedly Israeli drone was shot down on the southern outskirts of Beirut on Sunday, sparking a strong reaction from the leader of the Hezbollah movement. (T/Ast/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)