President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, made two phone calls this afternoon to the Minister of National Defense, Major General Michel Menassa, and the Commander of the Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, offering his condolences for the martyrdom of the two soldiers in southern Lebanon earlier today as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the Zibdine–Nabatieh road.
President Aoun strongly condemned the targeting of Lebanese Army personnel in the south, amid the continued attacks that have also claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent men, women, and children. He considered these acts a blatant violation of international and humanitarian law.
President Aoun stated that targeting the military institution—which plays a unifying national role in protecting stability and safeguarding sovereignty—stands in stark contradiction to Lebanon’s and the international community’s calls to empower the army to extend the authority of the state over all Lebanese territory and to confine arms exclusively to the hands of legitimate state forces.
The President reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to this option, calling for an immediate cessation of attacks on villages, towns, and their residents, and urging that the army not be targeted, as it remains the final safeguard for maintaining security and stability in the country.
