The Prime Minister spoke to French President Macron, telling him: "Hezbollah's attempt to resolve the crisis in Lebanon by creating a crisis with Israel would be a big mistake."
A man who lost his wife and two daughters is walking on the ruins of his home in Beirut, today
Photo:
Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today (Tuesday) that in order to prevent a disaster similar to the one that happened last week in the port of Beirut, the explosives and missiles planted by Hezbollah should be kept away from the concentrations of the civilian population in Lebanon.
Netanyahu made the remarks in a conversation he had with French President Emanuel Macron, during which he praised him for his leadership on the Lebanon issue. The prime minister also said that Israel's proposal to provide Lebanon with humanitarian aid was in line, but warned that if Hezbollah thought they could resolve the crisis in the country by creating a new crisis with Israel - "it would be a big mistake."
At a conference held this week to raise funds from international sources to help Lebanon deal with the catastrophic explosion in Beirut, Makron mentioned Israel as a possible aide to the country. "Israel has expressed its desire to help despite the geopolitical difficulty, it has offered to attend the conference and the matter should be examined," the French president told donors. Macron assured donors that the funds would be transferred to the victims of the disaster and would not reach "corrupt hands." Macron also referred to various countries, including the United States, which fear that the aid money will reach Hezbollah.
The Lebanese State Security Agency announced earlier today that it had completed an investigation into the explosion at the port, saying that as early as April 2019 "we noticed the security flaws in Department 12 at the port, and did everything necessary to prevent the explosion." Handed over to President Michel Aoun.
Lebanese leaders were warned two weeks before the blast
• The investigation into the explosion in Beirut has ended
• From Georgia to Lebanon: This is how the explosive device arrived at the port of Beirut - and led to a disaster
The Reuters news agency revealed today that senior Lebanese security officials warned about two weeks before the blast that resigned Prime Minister Hassan Diab and President Michel Aoun, before a similar incident that could destroy the Lebanese capital. "I warned them that the materials could destroy the city in the event of an explosion," said an official who was involved in writing a letter sent to the heads of state. The source admitted last week that he knew about the existence of the materials at the port, but instructed security officials to "take all necessary steps."
The "AP" news agency reported that 20 containers containing thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate and other hazardous substances were found in the port, which did not explode last week, which would have caused an even greater disaster. A delegation of French experts who arrived at the scene managed to seal the leaking containers, and these are working to secure the rest of the containers to evacuate them safely from the port.
171 people were killed in an explosion last week at a seaport in Beirut. Hundreds more were injured in the incident and dozens more are defined as missing, although the chances of finding them alive are very low. Following the disaster, the Lebanese prime minister resigned. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Beirut to protest against the government and against Hezbollah in several demonstrations that have taken place since the explosion, during which hundreds of demonstrators were injured.