Force of arms will not return Israelis to north: Lebanon FM tells UNSC

By Al Mayadeen English
21 Sep 2024 05:20
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Lebanon's foreign minister affirms that increased Israeli attacks on Lebanon will only displace more settlers, rather than return them to the occupied north.

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Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib holds a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 22, 2021. (AP)

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib affirmed that Israeli settlers will not return to the northern settlements by force of arms, emphasizing that if "Israel" expands its aggression, more Israelis will be displaced as a direct result.

Giving his statement to the United Nations Security Council, Bou Habib stressed that the pager attacks of September 17, followed by the transceiver attacks on September 18, set a dangerous and historical precedent in warfare, noting that "Israel's" cyber aggression has proven that "no one in this world is safe anymore".

The UN Security Council’s approval of what happened in Lebanon means approval of opening “Pandora’s Box”, the minister added, assuring that if the Israeli perpetrator is not held accountable or punished for the acts of terrorism it has committed, then the "credibility of this Council, international law, and the Charter of Human Rights will be at grave risk."

"It is now clear that Israel does not adhere to international law or humanitarian law, nor to resolutions issued by United Nations bodies. Israel has consistently ignored international legitimacy and human rights because it is used to not being held accountable, receiving only weak condemnations for its violations, which merely express regret," he stated.

The minister urged the Security Council to not only condemn the Israeli occupation but to "stand on the right side of history" and compel "Israel" to halt all aggressions before it expands the scope of the war, which "will not spare the East nor the West."

This comes after a UNSC session was convened to address the recent terrorist attacks targeting Lebanese citizens across the country after "Israel" booby-trapped widely utilized pagers and transceivers and detonated them, killing and injuring dozens of people, including women, children, and elderly.

Earlier today, the Israeli occupation targeted a residential building in Beirut's southern suburb, killing at least 14 people including children, and injuring over 66 others.