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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a statement Saturday condemning Israel’s latest deadly bombings in southern Lebanon, attacks that killed nearly a dozen people, including several children.
Salam rejected the Israeli government’s insistence that it was targeting a Hezbollah “military compound,” saying, “The seven martyrs of the Israeli airstrike on the town of Ansar are not ‘military infrastructure,’ nor are the children and women killed in it military targets.”
“The responsibility for dealing with any military structures, if they exist on Lebanese territory, lies exclusively with the Lebanese state, through the Lebanese army and its legitimate institutions, and their existence does not grant Israel the right to violate Lebanese territory or endanger civilians,” said Salam, who warned that the new strikes threaten to derail tenuous steps toward a diplomatic resolution.
“Israel must halt this escalation,” Salam said. “For the security of our people and their right to life on their land are not subject to negotiation or bargaining.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have said their country’s military won’t end its illegal occupation of and attacks on southern Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms.
“We will cleanse this area and ensure the security of the northern residents [of Israel],” Katz said earlier this week, referring to southern Lebanon.
On Friday, Michel Issa, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, echoed the Israeli government’s message.
“Tell Hezbollah that as soon as it hands over its weapons, everything will stop,” said Issa.
The Associated Press reported on Saturday that Israel struck “a home on the edge of the village of Ansar” and bombed the village of Deir al-Zahrani, killing 11 people total. Three children were killed by the Israeli airstrikes and two were wounded.
Hezbollah called the Israeli strikes “a fully fledged crime” and said that “the responsibility for this persistent aggression and violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty lies with the enemy government and the United States, which provides it with support and cover.”
“The Americans are partners with the Israeli enemy in its crimes and massacres against Lebanon,” the group added.
In late June, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted down a war powers resolution that would have halted American military participation in Israel’s assault on Lebanon. More than 20 Democrats joined Republicans in voting against the measure.
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