Speaking at the opening of a Cabinet session held on Thursday to discuss the ongoing events in Gaza and the situation along the southern border with Israel, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that his government “has continued to engage in diplomatic contacts and meetings over the past days to explain Lebanon’s stance and urge friendly countries to exert pressure to prevent Israeli violations and the extension of conflict into Lebanese territory.”
“While the war is still confined to Gaza, the daily events in the South and the martyrdoms that occur day after day are matters that must be addressed,” he added.
“In the past few hours, I received diplomatic signs expressing an understanding of Lebanese concerns and a commitment to continue efforts to stop Israeli aggression. The latest of these contacts occurred a few minutes before the session began, with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who was in Cairo. He briefed me on the diplomatic atmosphere as a prelude to holding a conference in Cairo next Saturday,” Mikati stated.
Commenting on the protests that occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday in Beirut and in front of the US Embassy, Mikati denounced the protestors’ violence and methods.
“Expressing one’s opinion, especially about what is happening, is a legitimate right, but we entirely reject public movements that go beyond expressing opinions and turn into attacks on people, the Army, security forces, public and private property and diplomatic missions,” Mikati declared.
He stated that a meeting was also held with the acting Governor of the Central Bank, Wassim Mansouri, to control the black market exchange rate of the Lebanese lira despite the current unrest.
