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⚡️ Various political leaders and foreign ministries have offered sympathy towards Lebanon, condolences to the families of those killed during Saturday morning’s strike by Israel on a vehicle that was patrolling on the Khardali-Nabatieh Road in southern Lebanon, and condemnation towards Israel for continued assassinations and attacks which were violating Lebanon’s sovereignty; (the Israeli strikes killed Brigadier General Wissam Sabra, Captain Elie Khoury, and Soldier Hassan Ghazel).
IDF:
⚡️ Israel’s Defence Forces published a statement in relation to the strike, claiming the vehicle was misidentified as Hezbollah due to it patrolling a combat zone: “Earlier today, the Israel Defence Forces identified a vehicle moving suspiciously toward troops near the village of Tebnine in southern Lebanon,” they said.
🔹 The statement continued: “The vehicle was travelling in an active combat zone that had been evacuated, and an alert was received regarding gunfire directed at Israel Defence Forces from the area,” claiming that information available to the IDF indicated Hezbollah were operating extensively in the area.
🔹 According to the IDF’s claims, following the identification of the vehicle and based on the warning information, along with the potential danger to troops, the vehicle was targeted, with initial examination results revealing that two officers and a solider from the Lebanese Army were inside the vehicle, adding that the incident remained under investigation, but the movement in a combat zone required coordination with the IDF.
🔹 IDF are allegedly investigating the incident to draw the necessary lessons according to the results, and stressed that Israeli Defence Force troops operate against the ‘terrorist Hezbollah and not the Lebanese Army.’
President Aoun:
⚡️ Lebanese President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned the attack that targeted the patrol, saying the attacks resulted in two army officers and a soldier joining a ‘caravan of those who preceded them among the military and civilian martyrs, children, women, ambulance and rescue personnel, and media workers, watering the dear land of the South with their pure blood.’
🔹 Aoun considered the attack to constitute a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty, along with international laws and norms, coming in the context of ongoing escalation that threatened stability and security in the South despite the efforts Lebanon were exerting in Washington to put an end to the ongoing Israeli attacks without deterrent.
🔹 The President called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, put an end to the repeated attacks, and to ensure respect for the relevant international resolutions, in a manner that preserves Lebanon’s security and stability.
Nabih Berry:
⚡️ Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri condemned the attack that killed the soldiers while rejecting Israeli claims the incident was accidental, describing it as a deliberately targeted attack, according to a statement that came after speaking with the Lebanese Army Commander.
Hezbollah:
⚡️ Lebanon’s Hezbollah issued a statement saying: “The cowardly criminal aggression carried out by the Zionist enemy against a military vehicle belonging to our national army, resulting in the martyrdom of two officers and a soldier, is a qualified, deliberate crime, [and] it adds to the crimes committed against our people, especially in the South and the Western Bekaa.”
🔹 Hezbollah said the outcome of the authority’s disregard for the country’s sovereignty and the blood of its people, alongside gratuitous concessions – the latest of which was its complete surrender to Israel’s conditions in Washington, had encouraged Israel to desecrate the blood of the Lebanese people and army, extending condolences and sympathies to families and the military institution, while reiterating solidarity with the national army.
Lebanonese Popular Conference:
⚡️ The Lebanese Popular Conference said the killing of Brigadier General Sabra and the accompanying personnel demonstrated the ‘futility of continuing direct negotiations with Israel,’ according to a statement published on Saturday by Al Mayadeen, adding that the group called on Lebanese authorities to adopt what it described as a ‘firm national response’ to Israeli actions against Lebanon and the Lebanese Army.
Iran:
⚡️ Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei issued a statement via X, stating Israel’s targeting of Lebanese Army personnel confirmed once again the ‘occupying entity violates Lebanon and all its components,’ stating Israel didn’t differentiate between a soldier, a resistance fighter, and a civilian, nor between a child, a woman, and an elderly person, adding: “Everyone on this land is a target for its aggression, and of Lebanon is a witness to its crimes.”
🔹 Baghaei said the killing of Brigadier General Sabra, Captain Khoury and Soldier Ghazal in the condemned Israeli strike that targeted the vehicle is a ‘qualified crime against Lebanon, its army, and its sovereignty,’ adding: “It is a clear aggressive message that Israel neither wants security, stability, nor prosperity for Lebanon.”
🔹 The Spokesman continued: “I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, their comrades in the military institution and the Lebanese Army command, as well as to the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese people,” then concluded by saying: “Glory to the martyrs, and shame upon an enemy that knows no bounds to killing, aggression, and committing crimes against others.”
Qatar:
⚡️ A Foreign Ministry statement condemned the attack that targeted the patrol car, resulting in the deaths, with Doha describing the attack as a ‘dangerous escalation and blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Sisterly Republic of Lebanon,’ stressing that it constituted ‘a clear breach of international law,’ calling on international communities to assume its responsibilities by pressuring Israel to halt attacks, and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, while reaffirming its stance toward Lebanon, its unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Saudi Arabia:
⚡️ The Foreign Ministry published a statement that expressed Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of ongoing Israeli military actions against Lebanon, rejecting violations of Lebanese sovereignty and attacks on the Lebanese Army.
Yemen:
⚡️ Sana’a Government’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulwahid Abu Ras warned Israel over continued operations in Lebanon, citing the recent targeting of the Lebanese Army vehicle, according to an official statement.
