Lebanese PM Convenes Emergency Cabinet Session After Israeli Strikes

(MENAFN) Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam convened an urgent Cabinet session early Monday in response to a sweeping wave of Israeli airstrikes battering multiple regions across the country, including the capital Beirut.

Salam ordered ministers to assemble at 8 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) at the presidential palace, a Lebanese news agency reported. The session was called to assess overnight developments and determine the government's course of action going forward.

The emergency gathering follows a sharp escalation in tensions triggered by rocket fire launched from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel — launches that Salam himself sharply criticized.

He characterized the strikes as "an irresponsible and suspicious act" that jeopardizes Lebanon's security and hands Israel justification to press forward with its offensive.

"Whoever is behind it, the launches threaten Lebanon's safety and stability," he warned, adding that Lebanon "will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures" and pledging that authorities would pursue all necessary steps to hold those responsible accountable and safeguard the Lebanese population.

Hezbollah subsequently claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, stating it had struck an Israeli missile defense installation near Haifa using a combination of rockets and drones.

In swift retaliation, the Israeli military unleashed a series of airstrikes across Lebanon in the early morning hours after intercepting an incoming rocket from Lebanese territory. The army noted that additional projectiles landed in open fields, causing neither casualties nor structural damage.

Israeli forces also issued evacuation orders to residents of 53 villages across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, directing civilians to withdraw at least 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from their communities ahead of anticipated military operations.

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