Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Raggi participated in the emergency meeting held in Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, with the participation of foreign ministers from a number of Arab and Islamic countries. The meeting was dedicated to consultation and coordination regarding the security and stability of the region.

He delivered Lebanon’s statement, describing the moment as pivotal and saying it requires boldness in position and a historical responsibility to defend the security and sovereignty of the countries targeted by Tehran.

He considered that the most dangerous aspect of these attacks is that they are directed against countries that have adopted nothing but a policy of de-escalation with Iran. These are countries that have long adhered to good neighborly policies, built bridges of cooperation, and sought to prevent the region from sliding into conflict.

The consultative ministerial meeting of foreign ministers from a group of Arab and Islamic countries (SPA)

He asked: “What message is Iran sending to our region when moderation is rewarded with aggression?”

Raggi considered that “through targeting Arab and Islamic countries, Iran is attempting to seize the security and stability of these states and trade them off for its opportunistic objectives.”

He stressed that “the Lebanese government is determined and committed to pulling Lebanon out of the grip of Iranian control, after it instructed Hezbollah to drag Lebanon into a war it did not choose,” affirming that “the Lebanese government has taken a series of decisions and is moving forward with implementing them, and will not back down from them.”

He noted that “Hezbollah’s move to launch rockets at Israel led to further Israeli attacks and incursions into Lebanese territory, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries, in addition to the displacement of more than one million Lebanese, which has worsened an extremely serious humanitarian crisis.”

He renewed the call on the UN Security Council and influential countries to compel Israel to implement Resolution 1701 of 2006, to declare a cessation of hostilities for November 2024, to put an end to its violations and repeated breaches of Lebanese sovereignty, and to fully withdraw behind the internationally recognized borders.

In his speech, Raggi reaffirmed “Lebanon’s commitment to the option of peace, and that there is no alternative to negotiation and diplomatic solutions to address conflicts and avoid further escalation.”

He stressed that “Lebanon is counting on Arab and international solidarity and support for the President’s initiative to enter into a direct negotiation track with Israel, with the aim of consolidating stability, ending the state of conflict, and reaching sustainable solutions that preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and rights.”

He called for “the urgent need to support the Lebanese Army and armed forces to enable them to carry out their role in maintaining security and stability and implementing Resolution 1701 in all its provisions, foremost among them restricting weapons to the authority of the state and extending its sovereignty over all its territory through its own forces.”