Lebanon’s powerful Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has said that Israel planned to use its war on Gaza as a pretext to attack Lebanon, only to be deterred by the US.
Citing journalist Bob Woodward’s book The War, which details communications between US and Israeli officials regarding the war on Gaza, Berri spoke of an Israeli plan, apparent in the early days of the Gaza war, to exploit the situation and launch a war on Lebanon, as reported by Al-Modon.
However, the US managed to stop the Israelis at the time.
Berri was speaking in response to the oft-repeated criticism of his allies Hezbollah for initiating rocket attacks against Israel as it waged war on Palestinians in Gaza, as well as the group’s allies in Hamas.
What began as tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Hezbollah exploded into a full-scale war when Israel launched a series of covert deadly attacks using booby-trapped pagers belonging to members of the Lebanese group, followed by a ratcheting up of brutal airstrikes on Lebanon and a ground invasion of the country.
At least 3,445 Lebanese people have been killed as a result of Israel’s war, many of whom are women and children. Additionally, millions of people, particularly in Lebanon’s south, have been displaced from their homes, with Israel using banned munitions such as white phosphorous in its attacks.
However, Berri remains optimistic about prospects of US-brokered peace negotiations with Israel succeeding, despite various disagreements between the parties.
The leader of the Shia Amal Movement also claims the potential ceasefire has the blessing of incoming president Donald Trump.
“This time, optimism can rise. The Americans are very serious, and Donald Trump has given Amos Hochstein the green light for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Moreover, according to what we’ve learned from the Americans, the Israelis want to end the war,” Berri told Al-Modon.
Berri also revealed that the agreement does not grant Israel any right to military freedom of action in Lebanon, describing this as “non-negotiable”, while also rejecting any idea of NATO involvement in any deal.
“There is no approval for forming an international committee to monitor the implementation of Resolution 1701, nor for introducing multinational or NATO forces. Instead, adherence to Resolution 1701 will be reinforced through the work of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.”
