The "National Bloc" stated today, Thursday, that "the criminal Israeli attack on the southern suburb of Beirut represents a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and an escalation to drag Lebanon into a wider and more dangerous war." In a statement, it called on "what remains of the state in Lebanon to assume its national and sovereign responsibilities in defending all Lebanese and protecting them from Israeli attacks, and to prevent Lebanon from being turned into a battleground for exchanging messages between factions, countries, and armed groups, both Lebanese and non-Lebanese, instead of lamenting and openly displaying impotence."