LEBANESE PRESIDENT BELIEVES HE CAN MAKE ISRAELIS SHAKE IN THEIR BOOTS

Israeli Actions in Lebanon a ‘Declaration of War,’ President Aoun Says

by Benjamin Kerstein

The Algemeiner
August 26, 2019

Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Monday called recent Israeli actions in his country’s territory “a declaration of war.”

On Sunday, a drone crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.

Hezbollah claimed the drone was Israeli, though this has not been confirmed.

The Israeli news site Walla reported that Aoun, seen as an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, met with the UN representative in Lebanon and called the drone incident an “Israeli attack” and a “declaration of war.”

Another strike in Lebanon took place early Monday morning, targeting the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

Israel refused to comment on whether it was responsible for the incident, which reportedly involved the use of drones.

The PFLP-GC, however, blamed Israel for the attack, saying, “The new aggression is within the framework of the escalating Zionist strike against the axis of resistance and forces led by Syria, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front.”

The occurrence came after a violent two days to Israel’s north, which also included an IDF strike in Syria that thwarted a Hezbollah-Iran attempt to target northern Israel with explosive drones.

Walla reported that, in the wake of the attacks, the IDF has sent reinforcements to the northern border in case of retaliatory attacks.