Lebanon says will defend itself by 'any means' after drone attack

Lebanon says will defend itself by 'any means' after drone attack
Lebanon's Higher Defence Council, a government body in charge of defence policy, met to discuss Sunday's attack on southern Beirut.
2 min read
28 August, 2019
Lebanon's Higher Defence Council met to discuss Sunday's attack on southern Beirut [Getty]
Lebanon on Tuesday stressed its right to defend the country "by any means" after a Israeli drone attack hit the Beirut stronghold of the Hizballah movement. 

Lebanon's Higher Defence Council, a government body in charge of defence policy, met to discuss Sunday's attack on southern Beirut.

"The Council affirms the right of the Lebanese to defend themselves by any means against any aggression," it said in a statement.

It came after President Michel Aoun, a former army chief, denounced the attack as a "declaration of war" and Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation. 

During Tuesday's meeting, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the attack - the first of its kind since a 2006 war between Hizballah and Israel - posed a threat to regional stability.  

Israel used the attack, for which the Jewish state has not claimed responsibility, "to change the rules of engagement," he said.

But Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said on Monday his country was ready to use "all means necessary" to defend itself against Iranian threats "on several fronts".

The Iran-backed Hizballah on Tuesday said the drone attack involved two drones - one which exploded and the other that crashed without exploding because of a technical failure.

Nasrallah on Sunday had said that an armed  drone had "hit a specific area," without elaborating.

The Beirut drone attack came after Israel on Saturday launched strikes in neighbouring Syria to prevent what it said was an Iranian attack on the Jewish state.

Nasrallah on Sunday said two Hizballah members were among those killed in the strikes.

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