Beirut plans to file an immediate complaint with the UN Security Council over Israeli violations, a Hezbollah spokesman said, while a Hezbollah spokesman said the two Israeli planes that crashed in Beirut were targeting certain locations that have yet to be identified by the investigation.
The party's media official, Mohamed Afif, told reporters in remarks broadcast on television that "the decision in all what is happening and the position in response to this brutal aggression" will be through a speech to be delivered by Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah later.
Lebanon plans to lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil asked his country's representative to the United Nations, Amal Medalli, to immediately file a complaint to the council "to condemn the serious Israeli violation of Lebanese sovereignty," a foreign ministry statement said.
"Lebanon is keen to abide by the resolutions of international legitimacy and its adherence to stability, which Israel meets on a daily basis with repeated violations that intimidate the Lebanese and threaten their security," Bassil said in the statement.
He pointed out that this "does not drop the right of Lebanon to defend national sovereignty and do what is necessary to safeguard it."
The statement pointed out that "Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty have increased their frequency in the recent period, reaching 481 violations in two months."
The statement said that "the Israeli violation carried out by two drones equipped with firepower, and targeted the capital Beirut today at a low suspicious altitude, constitutes a serious violation of national sovereignty, a flagrant aggression against Lebanon and a serious threat to stability in the region."
| Hariri: Two Israeli reconnaissance planes crashed in Beirut |
For his part, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that what happened was "a blatant aggression against Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Aoun said in a statement that the incident "is a new chapter in the continuing violations of Security Council Resolution 1701 and further evidence of Israel's aggressive intentions and its targeting of stability and peace in Lebanon and the region."
He pointed out that "Lebanon, which strongly condemns this attack will take appropriate measures after consultation with the concerned authorities."
In the same context, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri described what happened as "an open assault on Lebanese sovereignty and a clear violation of resolution 1701".
Hariri said he would remain in consultation with the presidents of the republic and the House of Representatives to determine the next steps, "especially that the new aggression, coupled with the heavy flight of enemy aircraft over Beirut and the suburbs, poses a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation towards more tension."