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The international community, primarily the United States, France and Germany, along with the United Nations, did not receive any response concerning the advice given to the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati about refraining from involving Lebanon in the Gaza conflict. The response that everyone heard was that the decision in this matter is not within the government’s control but with Hezbollah, which doesn’t disclose the specifics of its potential actions to any concerned party.
Diplomatic sources stated that the French contacted Hezbollah directly, and clearly informed them of the consequences of a full engagement in the war on political, military, economic and livelihood fronts, and most importantly, the human casualties and the extent of the destruction that would affect Lebanon. These sources revealed that Western nations and the United Nations have an additional concern, namely the fear that certain reactions might affect the international forces stationed in southern Lebanon, especially the units and individuals hailing from countries that have expressed unwavering support for Israel, with France and Germany at the forefront. In this context, the French Defense Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, contacted his Lebanese counterpart, Maurice Slim, requesting his collaboration in protecting the international forces and ensuring they remain unharmed.
Diplomatic sources revealed that those who reached out to Mikati clearly outlined the disastrous implications that Lebanon would confront in the event of Hezbollah’s complete involvement in the war. They emphasized that the major concern would be Lebanon’s inability to find support from either Arab or Western nations during the war, if it were to occur, especially in the reconstruction of what may potentially be destroyed and demolished. Furthermore, these sources assert that all relevant parties will impute all accountability to the Lebanese state for the unfolding events. According to international law, the State bears responsibility for safeguarding its sovereignty and securing its borders. However, they point out that the government has yet to adopt substantive measures that exhibit a sincere commitment to upholding these standards. For instance, merely identifying missile launch sites post-launch by Palestinian factions falls short of meeting the requirements. The prevailing expectation, as per these sources, is that such factions should not even be given the option to launch missiles.
Diplomatic sources emphasize the immediate and crucial need for the Lebanese government to issue a firm statement. The latter should explicitly affirm Lebanon’s rejection of involvement in the ongoing conflict and call on all relevant parties to refrain from using Lebanese territory for military actions. Furthermore, it should commit to implementing the outlined measures in this hoped-for statement through tangible on-ground initiatives. Such action is deemed vital to convince both the Arab and international communities of the Lebanese government’s sincere dedication to preventing further deterioration for both its citizens and the broader region, thereby dispelling any notion of utter disregard.
