BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has cautioned the Zionist regime against waging a war on his country, citing Beirut’s confidence to secure victory in the battle.
In an interview with Russia’s international television network RT, Bassil said Lebanon is capable to counter "any threat," but at the same time wants peace and stability in the region.
"We should not be provoking Israel into a war simply because it is likely to lose it. We should restrain Israel from starting a war exactly because Lebanon is sure to win it," he said.
The occupying regime launched two wars on Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, in both of which the Hezbollah resistance movement inflicted heavy losses on the regime’s military. Over the past months, Zionist officials have threatened another war on Lebanon.
Elsewhere in his interview, Bassil touched on Saad Hariri’s abrupt resignation as Lebanon’s prime minister two weeks ago while in Saudi Arabia. Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said Saudi Arabia had "kidnapped” the premier.
The top Lebanese diplomat said Hariri’s resignation was a "good example [showing that] virtually anyone can start a war against us."
Bassil also noted that Lebanon has always adopted "constructive and sound policies" towards the Arab world though such strategies have not prevented "hostile actions" against Beirut.
"We are ready to act in case of such developments, but we are trying to do everything we can to prevent this from happening and to maintain a good relationship with Saudi Arabia," he said.
Bassil said Lebanon would "stick to" its peaceful approach "unless forced to defend ourselves."
In a separate interview with Russia’s Interfax news agency, the Lebanese foreign minister warned of an anti-Lebanon campaign in the Middle East aimed at "intimidating" the country.
"Some countries are trying to use certain forces to remove the head of Lebanon," Bassil said without elaborating further.
"The same forces that unleashed the war in Syria and those who are feeding into terrorists are now trying to damage Lebanon," he pointed out.

Riyadh Warned

Meanwhile, former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy pursued by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "could end up as a threat in Lebanon unless wiser council prevails.”
Speaking at a conference hosted by London-based media monitoring group Middle East Monitor on Saturday, Straw described the Saudi policies extremely risky for the region and warned against a military intervention in Lebanon.
Lebanon is embroiled in a political crisis with Saudi Arabia over Prime Minister Saad Hariri's surprise resignation in Riyadh and his failure to return to Beirut amid speculation that the premier and his family are being held hostage by Saudi authorities.
Saudi Arabia has called on its citizens to leave Lebanon and described Hezbollah's presence in government as an "act of war". The Lebanese resistance movement, for its part, has accused Riyadh of having "declared war" on Beirut.
Straw said there has to be an acceptance of Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon’s politics. "Hezbollah as a political force is a reality in the Lebanon,” the Middle East Eye quoted him as saying.
The former top diplomat said that it was important to push for negotiations when dealing with international crises, citing the boycott of Hamas by foreign governments as a failure in this respect.
"I am unhappy about our boycotting of Hamas. I talked off the record to some journalists in Riyadh in early 2006 and said we ought to be talking to Hamas," he said, adding "some people say I was removed from the post of foreign secretary” because of these comments.