Berri says if Israel insists on occupation, it will be met with resistance

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the Israeli occupation of Lebanese border villages will be ended and if the Israelis insist on staying there, they will be met with resistance.

Israel said it has established a "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon near the border, where its forces are operating despite a 10-day ceasefire. Its army warned displaced residents against returning to their villages.

"We do not care about any lines," Berri told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Tuesday, "whether they're yellow, red or green." "We do not care and we will not accept (these colors and lines)," he said, insisting that Israelis must withdraw.

"If they remain in the areas they have occupied, they will be faced, every single day, with the Resistance."

"Since the very beginning, we have not fought for no reason. Their occupation and aggression forced us to resist in order to liberate our land and preserve our country’s sovereignty. Nothing has changed for us; we remain steadfast in our position until the occupation is ended and driven out of our land."

Berri said that he does not oppose negotiations per se, and that he himself had conducted indirect negotiations in the maritime border demarcation deal. "We support indirect negotiations," he explained.

The Speaker called on the displaced to be patient before returning home because he believes that Israel can never be trusted.