Beirut [Lebanon], August 15 (ANI): Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun on Saturday condemned Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, while Qatar denounced "escalating violence" by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Salam condemned the Israeli escalation in Nabatieh, Ansar, Deir Zehrani, and neighbouring villages, saying the strikes were undermining efforts to stabilise the situation in southern Lebanon.
In a post on X, Salam said,"The Israeli escalation that the city of Nabatieh, the town of Ansar, Deir Zehrani, and the neighboring villages have been witnessing since dawn today, accompanied by intensive airstrikes and shelling and the intimidation of residents in their homes, is a matter of utmost gravity and undermines efforts to stabilize the situation in the south."
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Referring to the seven people killed in an Israeli airstrike on Ansar, Prime Minister Salam said they were not military targets.
"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," he said.
The condemnation came as at least seven people were killed and three others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house near Ansar in southern Lebanon on Saturday, as Israel intensified overnight strikes on areas it said were linked to Hezbollah infrastructure. The Israeli military said the strikes were carried out in response to an action by Hezbollah against Israeli troops operating in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area, which the IDF described as part of a "Security Zone."
The strikes came amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon front, particularly on the southern side of Lebanon, with the IDF saying its operations are aimed at targeting Hezbollah's military infrastructure and preventing attacks on Israeli forces.
Salam said any military structures on Lebanese territory must be dealt with by the Lebanese state through its army and legitimate institutions.
"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," he said.
"Israel must halt this escalation. For the security of our people and their right to life on their land are not subject to negotiation or bargaining," Salam added.
In a post on X, President Aoun also condemned the ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatieh area and its surroundings.
Aoun said the strikes violated the Framework Agreement (signed on June 26), the work of the Military Coordination Group, and international laws protecting civilians, leading to the "martyrdom of an entire family from the town of Ansar."
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Aoun considered the violations "a clear message to the negotiation track and to the American efforts aimed at implementing this agreement."
Meanwhile, Qatar condemned the escalation of alleged attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, calling the "violence" against civilians a "violation of international law and legitimate international resolutions".
"The State of Qatar condemns the escalation of attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, including systematic violence against civilians, and considers it a flagrant violation of international law and legitimate international resolutions, as well as an extension of the heinous crimes against the brotherly Palestinian people," the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
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The ministry said that the attacks reflected the Israeli government's "approach" of enabling further settler activity.
"These barbaric crimes reflect the occupation government's approach of enabling settlers to commit further attacks under the protection of the Israeli army and Israeli security apparatus," it said.
Qatar called on the international community to "take urgent action to provide protection for the unarmed Palestinian people and to hold accountable those responsible for these horrific crimes."
The ministry also reiterated Qatar's support for Palestinian statehood, saying it backed "the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders..." (ANI)
"Israel must halt this escalation": Lebanon PM Salam condemns Israeli strikes
