Bou Habib says Lebanon to respond to Paris' 'good ideas' next week

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday said that Lebanon wants a “complete solution” for the border conflict with Israel.

“Hezbollah and the Houthis have announced that they will halt attacks if Israel stops the war on Gaza,” Bou Habib noted in an interview with al-Jazeera television.

“The French have proposed good ideas that we are studying and will respond to next week,” Bou Habib added.

“What Israel cares for is the return of residents to the areas from which they fled in the north,” the minister pointed out.

He added: “We want peace on the border, but we are prepared for war should it be imposed on us.”

“Any Israeli attack on our territory will not be a walk in the park and will lead to a regional war,” Bou Habib warned.

“Foreign envoys conveyed to us Israel’s threat and our response was that they should withdraw from our land,” he added.

Hezbollah and the Israeli army have traded almost daily fire since the eruption of the Gaza war.

On the Lebanese side, at least 280 people have been killed, mostly Hezbollah fighters and their allies, along with 44 civilians. On the Israeli side, the army says 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, while tens of thousands of residents on both sides have been displaced.