Hariri after Baabda Summit: Lebanon United in Face of Israeli Violations

Prime Minister Saad Hariri emphasized after a summit at Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri that Lebanon will always have “unified stances to confront Israel's violations,” the National News Agency reported on Monday.

“Our stances will always be united to confront Israel's violations against Lebanon,” assured Hariri.

“We have reviewed the challenges we are facing and discussed the visit of Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Satterfield to Lebanon. We will continue consultation with the President and the Speaker to make our position united and national with regard to any encroachment on Lebanon,” said the Premier.

Aoun has called for the summit at the Presidential Palace with the aim of tackling the Israeli threats and evaluating the situation in the wake of Saturday's major flare-up in Syria.

NNA said General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and coordinator of the Lebanese Government Brigadier General Malek Shamas have later joined the meeting.

Reports have raised concerns over the weekend that the military confrontation with Israel could spill from the Syrian front into the Lebanese front in light of the territorial and maritime border dispute with Israel.

Israel struck what it said were Iranian targets inside Syria on Saturday in "large-scale" raids after an Israeli warplane crashed under fire from Syrian air defenses, its military said.

The confrontation was the most serious between arch-foes Israel and Iran since the civil war in Syria began in 2011.

Israel said the raids came after it intercepted what it said was an Iranian drone entering its airspace from Syria.

Iran denounced Israeli "lies" and said Syria had the right to self-defense in response to Israeli strikes.