Berri: Israel strikes 'message' to Paris conference, 'in honor' of Mechanism meeting
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described Thursday a series of Israeli strikes on east and south Lebanon as a "message" to a Paris conference dedicated to supporting the Lebanese army.
The meeting in Paris is taking place today with the Lebanese army chief and American and Saudi officials, at a time when France and the United States are pressuring the Lebanese government to accelerate Hezbollah's disarmament.
Israel launched several strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Thursday, wounding at least four people in the southern town of Taybeh.
The attacks come as the committee monitoring the ceasefire, in effect since November 2024, which includes the United States, France and the U.N. in addition to Lebanon and Israel, is set to meet on Friday.
Berri also sarcastically said the airstrikes are "in honor" of Friday's meeting.
Friday's meeting is critical because it represents a shift from purely military talks to broader diplomatic negotiations involving two high-level Israeli and Lebanese civilians -- former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam and Senior Foreign Policy Director for Israel's National Security Council Uri Resnick. It will be the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed Karam and Resnick.
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/317259 |