Report: UK warns Lebanon of Israeli strike in mid-June
Over the past days, Lebanon has received diplomatic messages carrying a threat of an imminent Israeli strike, a media report said.
“Most international envoys carried their concerns over the seriousness of the Israeli threat, but the most notable message came from the British side, which specified a mid-June date for the Israeli strike,” al-Akhbar newspaper quoted “prominent sources” as saying.
Lebnaon received “advices on the need to carry out the necessary measures to stock up supplies for the war, whose geographic expansion and duration will not be known,” the sources added.
“During his latest trip to Doha, ex-minister Walid Jumblat had heard Qatari concerns over the Israeli intentions towards Lebanon, with the Qatari officials expressing to him their belief that Israel does not want a ceasefire in Gaza despite the U.S. attempts to reach an agreement,” al-Akhbar said.
Almost eight months of regular cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have intensified in recent days.
The violence since early October has killed at least 453 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but including 88 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, at least 14 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to the army.
The fighting has also displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border and Israel has repeatedly threatened a military campaign to secure the border area amid U.S.-led efforts to reach a diplomatic solution.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/305690 |