Foreign Ministry Urges Sparing Lebanon Any Fallout from Soleimani Killing

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed concern over the killing of top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad overnight, describing the U.S. strike that eliminated him along with a senior Iraqi paramilitary leader as “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation against Iran.”

The attack “will aggravate tensions in the region,” the Ministry warned in a statement.

“The Foreign Ministry stresses that Lebanon has always encouraged the approach of dialogue, restraint and wisdom to resolve problems instead of the use of force and violence,” the statement said.

“It also calls for sparing the region the assassination’s repercussions and keeping Lebanon away from the fallout of this dangerous incident, because it direly needs security and political stability so that it can overcome its suffocating economic and financial crisis,” the statement added.

The Ministry also extended condolences to Iran and Iraq over the deaths.