Report: Hariri in Talks with US, International Parties to Prevent Israeli Aggression

Since the latest Israeli drone attack in Lebanon, Prime Minister Saad Hariri has not stopped contacts with the US administration and other international parties to curb any Israeli aggression threatening to throw the situation off balance in Lebanon and the region, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.

Hariri constantly consults with President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and calls on the international community, mainly Washington, to pressure Israel to stop its violations of Resolution 1701, well-informed sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

They said the Premier holds Israel responsible for breaching the balance established by the rules of engagement drawn up after the end of the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizbullah.

Hariri accused, according to ministerial sources, Israel of being behind breaching these rules of engagement, “thinking that it can impose a new situation in the south to push for change.”

The Premier’s office said late on Tuesday that Hariri telephoned EU Commissioner for Security and Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini asking for the EU support to stop Israeli violations of UN resolution 1701 and maintain security and stability in the region after the recent developments.

Lebanon's Higher Defence Council, a government body in charge of defence policy, met on Tuesday and discussed the Israeli drone attack on Sunday that hit southern Beirut, a stronghold of Hizbullah.

The Council affirmed in a statement the right of the Lebanese to defend themselves by any means against any aggression.

It came after Aoun, a former army chief, denounced the attack as a "declaration of war" and Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation.

During Tuesday's meeting, Hariri said the attack -- the first of its kind since a 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel -- posed a threat to regional stability.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday his country was ready to use "all means necessary" to defend itself against Iranian threats "on several fronts".

Hizbullah on Tuesday said the drone attack involved two drones -- one which exploded and the other that crashed without exploding because of a technical failure.

The Beirut drone attack came after Israel on Saturday launched strikes in neighbouring Syria to prevent what it said was an Iranian attack on the Jewish state.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday said two Hizbullah members were among those killed in the strikes