Report: Berri blamed Colonna for 'reprehensible' support for Israel

As France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna urged restraint along the Lebanon-Israel border in meetings with senior officials in Beirut Monday, Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that Israel before Lebanon must be urged to respect U.N. Resolution 1701 as it daily violates the Lebanese sovereignty by land, air and sea.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Wednesday that Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah, has blamed Colonna for showing support for Israel and visiting an Israeli military base. "This is reprehensible," Berri reportedly said.

Since October 8, the day after the Israel-Hamas conflict started, the frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen escalating cross-border fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, which says it is acting in support of Gaza.

Colonna met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Berri, calling for responsibility and restraint a day after making similar appeals in meetings with Israeli officials.

In Israel on Sunday, Colonna called on all parties to "de-escalate" while Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen warned that ensuring Israel's security meant pushing Hezbollah "north of the Litani River", some 30 kilometers north of the border, "either by diplomacy or by force".

Informed sources told Asharq al-Awsat, in remarks published Wednesday, that Colonna warned the leaders in Beirut of a high risk of war if Hezbollah's armed presence south of the Litani River is not addressed. She said that Israel needs to guarantee a safe return to the residents of the north.