Lebanon’s Foreign Minister: We consider Israel responsible for the assassination of Al-Arouri and the explosion in Kerman.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, in an interview with an American network, called the Zionist regime “responsible” for the assassination of the political office deputy of Hamas in the suburbs of Beirut and the terrorist explosion in Kerman yesterday.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, stated on Thursday night (January 3rd) that his country’s government “does not want war and is trying to persuade Hezbollah not to start a war against Israel.”
In an interview with CNN host Christiane Amanpour, he stated that he believes the Zionist regime was “responsible” for the assassination of Hamas political office deputy Salah al-Arouri and the deadly explosion at the memorial service for martyr Soleimani on Thursday afternoon in Kerman, expressing his fear that the Middle East is “really on the brink of a regional war.”
The head of Lebanon’s diplomatic apparatus regarding the terrorist attack on Wednesday night in southern Beirut that led to al-Arouri’s martyrdom said, “We are worried about [the start of the war] because the government and people of Lebanon do not want any war. We want peace at our southern borders. We do not want what is happening in the south to spread to Lebanon. We do not want a regional war because it is dangerous for everyone, dangerous for Lebanon, and dangerous for Israel and its neighboring countries.”
In response to a question about the possibility of Hezbollah’s retaliatory action against Tel Aviv due to the assassination of al-Arouri, he said that the Lebanese government is in talks with Hezbollah to prevent them from taking any such action. “It’s not like we can give them orders, we don’t claim that, but we can persuade them, and I think it works.”
He stressed the United States’ role in achieving peace before meeting with the National Security Council’s advisors. Referring to America’s previous successes in leveraging “influence” over Israel to achieve a peaceful outcome, he described the United States as a “pioneer” in pursuing peace.