Lebanon Appeals to the US for Restraint Over Regional Tensions

Lebanon has requested the United States to call for restraint from Israel in order to avoid a regional military conflict in the Middle East. This was announced today, July 28, by the caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.

"Lebanon has asked the US to restrain Israel amid ongoing military escalation, to prevent a conflict that would engulf the entire Middle East," Bou Habib stated, as reported by Al Mayadeen.

According to him, Washington has urged Lebanese authorities to rein in Hezbollah's militia. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, for his part, insists on an immediate halt to military operations in the region. He has firmly condemned all forms of violence and attacks against civilian populations.

This statement from Lebanese authorities was in response to incidents that occurred on July 27 in the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, where rocket fire reportedly killed 12 children and teenagers. Israeli Prime Minister’s adviser Dmitry Gendelman accused Hezbollah of responsibility for the shelling, threatening a harsh response.

Hezbollah has approached the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to deny its involvement in the incident, claiming that the deaths of the children were caused by the fall of an Israeli missile.