PM urges efforts to prevent Lebanon from going to war with Israel

BEIRUT, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati pledged on Friday to make every effort to prevent Lebanon from slipping into a war, amid the escalating border tension with Israel after the outbreak of Hamas-Israel conflict.

In an interview with Lebanese TV channel Al Jadeed, Mikati said that no one had promised him that there would not be a war as the situation was constantly changing.

He added that the decision of whether to go to war or maintain peace is not made by the government, hinting that Hezbollah, an armed Lebanese military group that had exchanged fire with Israel over the past week, may make its own decision.

While underlining that maintaining stability and security in Lebanon is his primary concern, Mikati stressed that Israel must stop provoking Hezbollah.

Mikati added that the Lebanese army is on the front lines in southern Lebanon in an effort to maintain stability in the area.

The tension on the Lebanese-Israeli border escalated after Hezbollah on Sunday morning fired dozens of missiles toward military sites in Shebaa Farms in support of the surprise attack on Israeli towns launched by Hamas on the morning of Oct. 7.

Israel stepped up its assault on southern Lebanon on Friday by bombarding the area around the towns of Al-Dhahira, Alma al-Shaab, and Yarin, killing one Lebanese photographer working for Reuters, and injured six other reporters.