“Lebanon is a sovereign country and the territory of south of Lebanon is part of Lebanon,” Mr El Khoury said. It collapsed after Israel’s chaotic withdrawal in 2000, with thousands of SLA members fleeing across the border into Israel. To some Lebanese, the SLA protected Lebanon from Hezbollah and the PLO, which set up bases in the south after it was ejected from Jordan in 1970. Hezbollah has been able to build up large weapons supplies in south Lebanon that Israel says it is now intent on destroying. This week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would “continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut”.

Source: Ethiopian News October 17, 2024 16:49 UTC