Lebanese PM Calls Israeli Drones in Beirut Attack on Sovereignty


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri said on Sunday the fall of two Israeli drones in Beirut was a threat to regional stability that heightened tensions, describing it as an open attack on the Arab country’s sovereignty.

Hariri said he was in consultations with President Michel Aoun on what next steps would be undertaken over the “new aggression”.

He said there was also a heavy presence of planes in the sky over the capital and its suburbs, his office said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah said in a statement early on Sunday that one of the drones fell in Dhahyeh and the second drone exploded near the ground in another nearby suburb.

The Israeli military said it does not comment on foreign reports.

Residents in Dahyeh said they had heard the sound of a blast. A witness said the army closed off the streets in one neighborhood where a fire had started. No other information was immediately available.

Lebanon has complained to the United Nations about Israeli aircraft regularly violating the country’s airspace in recent years.