Beirut develops plan in case of possible conflict with Israel

"The Lebanese government has developed an operational plan in case of any escalation of the ongoing conflict, but international organizations have not provided the necessary assistance in this regard as a result of pressure from the West," Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram told Sputnik.

He also noted that a possible armed conflict with Lebanon "will not be a walk in the park" for the Israel Defense Forces.

"The decision on war and peace today is entirely in the hands of Israel, and Lebanon has every right to self-defense ... It is impossible to say that there will not be a large-scale war against Lebanon, and we cannot guarantee what the Israeli army will do. Hezbollah is capable of waging this battle, and Israel does not need any pretext to strike Lebanon," Bayram added.

The situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border escalated after the start of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The Israeli army and Lebanese fighters from the Hezbollah movement fire at each other's positions in areas along the border almost daily.

According to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, about 100,000 people were forced to leave their homes in southern Lebanon due to shelling from Israel. Israel said that about 80,000 residents of northern Israel had found themselves in a similar situation.