Hariri: Israel seeks war with Lebanon, Syria, Iran

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has warned of Israeli attempts to start a military confrontation with Lebanon, Syria and Iran.

Hariri, who was in Italy to meet with Pope Benedict XVI, urged Rome to pressure Israel to take part in peace negotiations.

“Israel can’t claim to be interested in the peace process without doing anything tangible in this regard,” Hariri said, noting that the Israelis were currently gripped with division.

The Lebanese prime minister, who was taking part in an interview with Italian channel RAI News 24 on Friday, added that while “Arabs want peace,” Israel only seeks war with “Lebanon, Syria and Iran.”

Hariri also highlighted daily Israeli violations of Lebanese air space and described them as unacceptable.

This is not the first time during the past weeks that Hariri has warned of the “escalating” threats that Israel poses to the Middle East, as officials in Tel Aviv have been repeating threats of a full-fledged war against Lebanon.

Late last month, an Israeli minister revealed the regime’s intentions to wage a third attack on Lebanon. Some news outlets have even reported that Tel Aviv had already mobilized its troops for the military aggression.

On February 5, Hariri objected to the increasing number of Lebanese airspace violations carried out by Israeli warplanes. He also called on the international community to prevent a possible Israeli attack on his country.

Just days later, he renewed his call and warned Tel Aviv that it would be confronted by a united Lebanon if war breaks out.

“I think they’re betting that there might be some division in Lebanon, if there is a war against us…Well, there won’t be a division in Lebanon… We will stand against Israel. We will stand with our own people,” he vowed.