Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib revealed yesterday, on the sidelines of communications he received or made with several of his Arab and Western counterparts, that "the United States asked the government to restrain Hezbollah," adding that Lebanon requested the U.S. to urge Israel to exercise restraint amid recent tensions. In a televised interview, he stated, "A significant attack by Israel would lead to a regional war." He noted that "Hezbollah denied its connection to the strike and since the beginning of the war, it has targeted military sites rather than civilian ones. I do not believe it carried out this strike; it could have been executed by other organizations, an Israeli error, or even a mistake by Hezbollah—I do not know, and we need an international investigation to determine the truth."
In the context of ongoing efforts, the "Al-Jumhuriya" newspaper learned that a meeting will be held this morning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between Bou Habib and the head of Arab and International Relations at Hezbollah, Mr. Ammar Al-Mousawi. It is expected that during this meeting, discussions will address the latest political and diplomatic developments and the outcomes of current consultations on multiple levels. Additionally, Bou Habib will meet with the Swedish Ambassador Ann Dismore and the United Nations representative Janine Hennis-Plasschaert, who is conducting communications with Lebanese political and security leaders to keep track of developments following the joint statement issued by her and the commander of UNIFIL, General Lazaro, which included a warning against any military action that could lead to a deterioration of the situation.