Lebanon's Prime Minister in rare clash with Iran over ceasefire comments

Unifil spokesman says self-defence against Israel by peacekeepers 'can be used' but de-escalation is important

Trails of smoke left in the sky from rockets fired toward Israel from Lebanon. AFP

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Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hit out at Iran's “blatant interference” in Lebanese affairs after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran was ready to negotiate with France on the implementation of a UN Security Council resolution.

Mr Mikati later said he had instructed his Foreign Minister to summon Iran's charge d'affaires over the remarks by Mr Ghalibaf, who visited Beirut last week.

His reaction marks a rare spat between the Lebanese government and Iran, which is an ally of some of Lebanon 's most important factions, including Hezbollah.

“We are surprised by this position, which constitutes a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish an unacceptable guardianship over Lebanon,” Mr Mikati said.

“The issue of negotiation to implement the Resolution 1701 is being undertaken by the Lebanese state and everyone is required to support it in this direction, not to seek to impose new mandates that are rejected by all national and sovereign considerations.”

Security Council Resolution 1701, which was agreed on to end the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, states that only the Lebanese army and Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force, should be deployed in southern Lebanon, but the provision has never been enforced. Some Lebanese officials, including Mr Mikati, have been pushing for the resolution's enforcement in a bid to end the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel has in recent weeks been pounding southern and eastern Lebanon, areas where Hezbollah holds sway. In Lebanese border villages, the group and Israeli soldiers have been engaged in close-range combat since Israel launched a ground invasion last month.

The Israeli army said on Friday it was calling up an additional reserve brigade for operations in northern Israel, amid fighting against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

“This will enable the continuation of combat efforts against the Hezbollah … and the achievement of the goals of the war, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the army said in a statement.

Drone shot down

Unifil peacekeepers have also faced attacks from invading Israeli forces as they monitor the UN-demarcated Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon. Spokesman Andrea Tenenti said on Friday that self-defence against Israel “can be used” but de-escalation is important. “The devastation and destruction of many villages along the Blue Line, and even beyond, is shocking,” he added.

Mr Tenenti also spoke about Unifil's shooting down of a drone that approached its ship off the Lebanese coastline on Thursday. “The drone was coming from the south but circling around the ship and getting very, very close, a few metres away from the ship.”

He said an investigation had detected “a trace of the possible use of white phosphorous” by the Israeli army close to a Unifil base. Israel has been regularly accused of using white phosphorus on Lebanese farmland.

Hezbollah said it was launching “a transition to a new and escalatory phase” in its war against Israel and would use precision-guided missiles against enemy troops for the first time.

The announcement came after the Israeli military on Thursday said it had killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, Hezbollah's close ally. The statement, however, made no mention of Mr Sinwar.

“Hundreds of fighters … are fully prepared to counter any Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanese villages,” it said, noting that attacks on Israel have increased in recent days. It said Hezbollah rocket strikes “escalate day by day”, with “precision-guided ones … being deployed for the first time”.

Barrage of missiles

The militia on Friday said its fighters were firing a barrage of missiles at Israeli soldiers near Ayta ash Shab and in Kfar Kila. Israel said its air force had struck about 150 targets in Gaza and Lebanon in the past 24 hours, including weapons depots and underground shafts, as well as sniper and observation posts. It also claims to have killed Muhammad Hassin Ramal, Hezbollah’s commander of the Tayibe area in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army said five soldiers were killed and several injured during combat in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced late on Thursday that 45 people were killed and 179 wounded as a result of Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of casualties since the start of the war to 2,412 and 11,285 injured.

Israel stepped escalated its attacks on Lebanon last month, killing Hezbollah's long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut on September 27. It says its aim is to force Hezbollah to retreat from the border to ensure its displaced citizens can return to their homes in northern Israel. However, its attacks are not limited to Hezbollah strongholds and the military has struck the heart of the capital several times.

The NNA quoted Minister of Environment Dr Nasser Yassin, also co-ordinator of the Lebanese Government Emergency Committee, as saying that 96 air strikes have been recorded in the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number to 10,246 since the war began.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israel to halt its military operations in Lebanon, respect its sovereignty and avoid expanding the conflict.

He made the comments on Thursday after an EU leaders' summit in Brussels. Mr Macron said that while France stands alongside Israel in support of its security, this does not necessarily prevent disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.