Qatari emir says Israel wants 'civil war' in Lebanon to halt its attacks

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Monday criticized Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon despite its ceasefire with Hezbollah.

“In Lebanon, the Lebanese government’s acceptance of a U.S. paper is being met with bombardment and assassinations, and Israel is seeking to push it into civil war in order for it to halt its attacks on it,” Sheikh Tamim lamented during an emergency Arab-Islamic summit responding to Israel’s unprecedented airstrike against Hamas officials in Doha.

Under pressure from the United States and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government is now moving to disarm Hezbollah.

The group, which previously dominated Lebanese politics and was thought to be better armed than the military, was severely weakened by the war with Israel.

According to Lebanese government, the Lebanese Army must complete its disarmament of Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border within three months before continuing the disarmament plan in other areas of the country.

Hezbollah is pushing back against the disarmament drive and has warned that it should not take place before Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory and halts its attacks and before a national security strategy is approved.