The League of Arab States condemned this Sunday the Israeli aggression against Lebanon following the capture of the historic Beaufort castle, in the Nabatiye governorate – southeastern Lebanon -, and the Israeli government’s announcement to extend its control in the neighboring country.
“Ahmed Abul Gueit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, has strongly condemned the brutal Israeli aggression against Lebanon, the ongoing invasion of Lebanese territory, the destruction of villages and archaeological sites in southern Lebanon, and the attacks and displacements of civilians,” stated the communiqué released by the same leader on social media.
In his post on X, Abul Gueit denounced the events as a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” as well as “a serious breach of International Law and International Humanitarian Law”.
The note also includes the words of its official spokesperson, Gamal Roshdi, who emphasized “the urgent need for this brutal Israeli aggression to cease immediately,” assuring that “it represents a serious threat to security and stability in the region”.
Similarly, Roshdi reaffirmed the League’s solidarity with “Lebanon and its people” and conveyed the organization’s support to the Lebanese State “to face the consequences of this aggression.”
In this regard, he insisted on the regional organization’s backing of all measures adopted by Beirut in order to “restore security and stability and extend state sovereignty over all its territory.”
Among them, he included the Lebanese government’s call to the United Nations Security Council “to work towards an immediate ceasefire, the total withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon, and the facilitation of the return of displaced persons to their areas and homes.”
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Regarding this, in the words of its spokesperson, the League urged the Council to “assume its responsibilities regarding” the situation and to “compel Israel to cease fire and fully implement Security Council Resolution 1701”, which was approved in 2006 and calls for an end to hostilities between the Lebanese Shia militia party Hezbollah and Israel.
Specifically, the resolution demands a permanent truce based on the creation of a buffer zone and the withdrawal of the Israeli Army from southern Lebanon before the deployment of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which would supervise the cessation of attacks and support the Lebanese Army in its efforts to regain control of the area.
The League’s condemnation comes after the capture of the strategic Beaufort castle – known to Arabs as Qalat al Shaqif -, one of the epicenters of the 1982 Lebanon war. It was the scene of battles between the Israeli Army and the Palestine Liberation Organization, which ended with Israeli victory and their establishment in a position they would not abandon until 2000.
It also comes after the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave orders to expand the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. “My orders now are to consolidate and extend our control over the areas that were under Hezbollah’s domain,” declared the premier.
He then highlighted that his military forces are “taking the initiative, operating on all fronts: in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon.”
According to this plan, the next target of their advance in Lebanese territory would be the Zahrani River, 15 kilometers north of the Litani, as all evacuation orders sent by the Israeli Army to the local population over the weekend indicate.
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