The Lebanese Prime Minister denounced for the first time, Friday October 18, “blatant interference” of Iran after comments from an Iranian official claiming to be ready to negotiate a ceasefire in Lebanon and requested the summoning of the Iranian charge d’affaires in Beirut. This is the first time that Najib Mikati, who maintains good relations with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah represented within his cabinet, has adopted such a position.
After a year of exchanges of border fire, Israel and the Islamist movement Hezbollah are now at open war in Lebanon where Israel launched a ground offensive in the south on September 30.
Attempt to “establish guardianship” over Lebanon
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who visited Beirut last week, said in an article published Thursday evening by Le Figaro that Tehran would be ready to negotiate a ceasefire in Lebanon with Paris.
“We are surprised by this position, which constitutes blatant interference in Lebanese affairs, and an attempt to establish a guardianship that we reject over Lebanon”said the Prime Minister in a press release. He indicated that he had asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to “summon the Iranian charge d’affaires” to Lebanon to ask him “explanations” on these remarks.
The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in mid-September in the explosion of a pager, like hundreds of members of Hezbollah, an operation attributed to Israel.
“Understanding the situation in Lebanon”
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament met Najib Mikati during a visit to Beirut on October 12, during which he denounced «the crimes» of Israel which is carrying out a campaign of intensive strikes on Lebanon and ground incursions in the south.
The Lebanese Prime Minister said he had informed Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had visited Lebanon earlier, “the need to understand the situation in Lebanon, subject to unprecedented Israeli aggression”.
Pressuring Israel for a ceasefire
He stressed that his government “worked with all friends of Lebanon, including France, to put pressure on Israel for a ceasefire”.
At least 1,418 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israeli operations in Lebanon intensified on September 23, according to a tally by theAFP made from official data, and more than a million forced to leave their homes.
