Israel’s killing of three Lebanese army troops, including a high ranking officer, has sparked a range of harsh reactions:
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said that Israel’s killing of two Lebanese army officers and a soldier reaffirms that Israel “is laying claim to Lebanon in all its components,” reported Al Jazeera. In a post on X, Baghaei described the attack as “a heinous crime against Lebanon, its army, and its sovereignty, and a clear message of aggression stating that Israel desires no security, stability, or prosperity for Lebanon.” He accused Israel of not distinguishing between soldiers, resistors and civilians, saying everyone was a target.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed its “condemnation and denunciation in the strongest terms of the continued Israeli aggression” against Lebanon. In a statement, it affirmed its complete rejection of the targeting of Lebanon’s army and its sovereignty, and sent condolences to the families of the Lebanese army personnel who were killed “while performing their national duty.”
The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) has expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the relatives of the Lebanese army members who were killed today in Israel’s attack in the Nabatieh area. “Such attacks in Lebanese territory constitute gross violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and Security Council Resolution 1701,” it said in a post on X, referring to the UNSC resolution that ended the 2006 Lebanon war.
Qatar “considers the attack a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly Republic of Lebanon, as well as a clear breach of international law,” the Qatari foreign ministry said on X. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the international community to assume its responsibilities by compelling the Israeli occupation authorities to cease their repeated attacks on Lebanon, to respect international conventions and laws, and to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
