The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants issued a statement denying "the news circulated by some online sites, quoting the Israeli newspaper 'Jerusalem Post' regarding the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the caretaker government, Abdullah Bouhabib, supposedly sending a special message to the Israeli Foreign Minister through his Azerbaijani counterpart, and the Israeli response to Minister Bouhabib regarding the situation in southern Lebanon." It indicated that "this news is fabricated and suggests there is secret indirect communication between the two ministers, which is purely the imagination of the article's author."
The ministry clarified that "Minister Bouhabib only met once in Doha with his Azerbaijani counterpart, on the sidelines of the Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with Central Asian countries and the Republic of Azerbaijan on April 30, 2024. The meeting was attended by the Lebanese Ambassador to Qatar, Farah Berri, alongside the consul, and there was no private meeting with the Azerbaijani counterpart. A formal record of the meeting exists and is documented at the ministry, refuting the claims made in the aforementioned article."
It noted that "the primary objective of the meeting was to attempt to secure the release of the Lebanese-Armenian citizen Viken Oljkijian, who has been detained by Azerbaijani authorities since November 2020, based on a request for assistance received by Minister Bouhabib from Armenian-Lebanese parties and figures to mediate with Azerbaijan and resolve this issue."
The ministry emphasized that "Bouhabib reiterates in all his meetings with his counterparts the official stance of Lebanon on the issues raised, particularly the current matter concerning the ongoing Israeli assaults on southern Lebanon, where he expresses Lebanon's commitment to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, and the necessity to avoid the military escalation that Israel threatens daily, indicating its intentions of waging a wide war on Lebanon, which clearly reflects the official and popular Lebanese position that Lebanon does not want war and does not seek it."
