The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said on Tuesday that Israel “deliberately chose to expand the aggression, by implementing pre-prepared plans in other locations such as Lebanon and the West Bank.”
The Emir of Qatar added, at the opening of a session of the Shura Council in his country, that Israel is “moving forward with its plans, because it believes that there is room for that.”
At the same time, he stressed that “continuing to make every effort to reach an agreement to end this war, despite the obstacles that hinder mediation efforts,” recalling “the success in reaching the armistice agreement that was implemented last November.”
He indicated in a televised speech that, “After all this killing and destruction, Israel will have no choice but to submit to the two-state solution,” calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Gaza.
For its part, Israel insists on moving forward with its operations until it “achieves the goals of the war,” most notably “eliminating Hamas,” and returning the residents of the north to their areas from which they were displaced due to Hezbollah attacks.
Israel expanded the scope of its goals during the war it is waging against the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, on Monday, as it carried out an air strike in the north of the country, which Lebanese health officials said killed at least 21 people.
The focus of Israeli military operations in Lebanon so far has been on the Bekaa Valley in the east, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the south, where incidents involving Israeli forces and United Nations peacekeeping forces have created a state of tension.
On Monday, the UN Security Council expressed its deep concern after several peacekeeping forces’ positions in southern Lebanon came under fire, amid clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
Israel ordered residents of 25 other villages to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, which flows about 60 kilometers north of the border with Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to a military base in central Israel that Hezbollah targeted with a drone on Sunday, killing 4 soldiers, that Israel will continue to attack the Iran-backed group “mercilessly anywhere in Lebanon, even in Beirut.”
ظهرت في الأصل على www.alhurra.com