Lavrov: Israel's practices violate international law and fuel tension in Lebanon

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Moscow considers the Israeli army's practices a violation of the provisions of international law and a source of escalation of tension in Lebanon.

Lavrov said, during a press conference following his talks with the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Youssef Raji: “In light of the continuation of Israeli practices in Lebanon, we affirmed Russia’s principled position in support of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Lebanese Republic, and of course, we adhere to our assessment that the military operations carried out by the Israeli army blatantly violate the provisions of international law, and lead to further tension and escalation in Lebanon.”

The Russian Minister added, "We support Lebanon and the Lebanese side during the discussions in the UN Security Council, and the next opportunity will be available before the end of this year, when the end of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is discussed. These forces have played a very important role in ensuring that the escalation does not cause significant destabilization, as these forces cannot prevent the escalation, simply because they do not have the necessary material capabilities to do so."

According to him, Russia sees opportunities to advance the agenda of settling all issues in the Middle East, and he explained, “But we strongly hope that we will be able, whether in our contacts with the Lebanese or with the Israelis, which we maintain, to make progress in this direction, and we have always affirmed our interest in ensuring Israel’s security within the framework of a full settlement of its relations with its Arab neighbors, and reaching a comprehensive settlement of all Middle East issues, based on the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which includes the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

Lavrov concluded, "We see opportunities to advance this agenda, but achieving this requires that our Israeli colleagues are also convinced of the necessity of reaching a solution that satisfies all parties, which we continue to urge them to accept."