The Lebanese army warned Lebanon on Sunday against actions that would upset public order in the crisis-hit country after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
The military said in a statement that it “calls on citizens to maintain national unity and not engage in actions that could affect civil peace at this dangerous and delicate stage”, Friday’s major strike After which Nasrallah was killed and Israeli attacks continue.
“The Israeli enemy is working to implement its destructive plans and create division among the Lebanese people,” the army statement said.
Tiny Lebanon has long been divided along sectarian lines and witnessed a devastating civil war from 1975-1990.
Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim movement that wields major power in Lebanon and whose military strength is widely believed to dwarf Lebanon’s armed forces, has called for opening a “support front” against Israel over the Gaza war. His decision has drawn criticism from some Lebanese politicians. year ago.
AFP troops have been deployed since Saturday in Beirut, where thousands of people have sought refuge from intensified Israeli raids in Lebanon’s south and east and on Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold, a Lebanese army official said.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged Lebanese people to “come together” to maintain civil order.
“Our national responsibility at this historic and extraordinary moment requires us to put aside political differences,” he said Saturday after cutting a trip to New York short.
‘radio silence’
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, also called for unity in a statement on Sunday.
“At this critical moment for Lebanon when uncertainty is rampant, now is the time for the country to focus on the common interest that unites its people,” he said.
Even parties traditionally opposed to the powerful Iran-backed group have refrained from making incendiary statements following Nasrallah’s killing.
The Lebanese Forces, a Christian party widely considered one of Hezbollah’s staunchest critics, told supporters to remain “radio silent” on social media in a message broadcast on its groups, a source close to the party told AFP. Ordered.
On Saturday, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on the Lebanese people to “rise above differences”, and said Nasrallah’s killing had “plunged Lebanon and the region into a new phase of violence”.
An international court had found that Hezbollah operatives were behind the 2005 assassination of his father Rafik Hariri, also a former prime minister of Lebanon.
Hezbollah began cross-border fire with Israel in support of ally Hamas, sparking the war in Gaza on October 7, a day after the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
Israel has recently shifted the focus of its campaign from Gaza to Lebanon, where heavy bombardment since Monday has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
