Canada tells Israel that Lebanon’s sovereignty ‘must not be violated’
Canada said it “strongly condemns” Israeli plans to invade southern Lebanon and warned that Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity “must not be violated” amid plans by Israeli forces to launch a major land invasion of its northern neighbor.
Israel’s preparations to invade and take control of up to 30 km (18.6 mi) of Lebanon’s southern border, Death toll in Lebanon Since the beginning of this month, the number of those affected by Israeli attacks has risen to at least 1,072 people, with almost 3,000 injured.
More than a million people have been displaced due to weeks of Israeli attacks in the south and east of the country, as well as in the capital Beirut. Humanitarian crisis warnings As Israel’s ground offensive approaches, these attacks are being carried out at all levels.
Expressing “solidarity” with the Lebanese government and Lebanese people, Canada’s Department of Global Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday that all parties to the conflict must “act in accordance with international law.”
“We call on all parties to protect civilians and refrain from attacks on infrastructure, healthcare workers and peacekeepers,” the ministry said in a statement.
On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also said that Israel should refrain from invading southern Lebanon, warning that such a move would have a serious impact on civilians.
“We call on the Israeli authorities to refrain from such ground operations, which would have major humanitarian consequences and worsen the country’s already difficult situation,” Barrot told the AFP news agency.
The statements of France and Canada came after Israel announced that its army would take control of southern Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army “will control the security zone up to the Litani” and added that displaced Lebanese residents would not be allowed to return to their homes south of the river “until the safety of those living in the north of Israel is guaranteed.”
Raising the specter of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Katz said the Israeli army is “following the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoon” in Lebanon, two cities that were virtually destroyed in the midst of the war on the Palestinian enclave.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister on Monday Bezalel Smotrich He went further in his call for Israel to formally annex southern Lebanon, saying it was necessary for “Israel’s borders to change.”
“I say it unequivocally here… in every room and in every discussion: Israel’s new border must be the Litani,” he said in an interview.
Israel’s preparations to invade southern Lebanon include the bombing of bridges over the Litani River and the bombing of Lebanese homes near the border separating the two countries.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described Sunday’s Israeli attack on the Qasmiyeh Bridge, a key to the country’s south, as “the beginning of a land invasion.”
Lebanese state media earlier Wednesday quoted the Health Ministry as saying nine people had been killed in Israel’s latest attacks on Lebanon.
According to reports, four people were killed in an “Israeli enemy raid” on the southern town of Adloun, and two people were killed and four others were injured in an attack on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp. At least three people were killed and 18 people were injured in Israel’s previous raid on the southern town of Habboush.
A woman was killed in northern Israel following rocket fire from Lebanon on Tuesday – as repeated air raid sirens sent residents to safe shelter, Israeli officials said.
