NNA - President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, condemned the Israeli raid that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs at dawn today.

He said: "This attack on the outskirts of Beirut, for the second time since the November 26 agreement, constitutes a serious warning of the premeditated intentions against Lebanon, especially given its timing, which came after the signing in Jeddah of an agreement to control the Lebanese-Syrian border, under the gracious and appreciated sponsorship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It also came following our visit to Paris and the complete convergence of views we witnessed with President Macron."

He added: "Israel's persistence in its aggression requires us to exert more effort to address Lebanon's friends in the world, and to rally them in support of our right to full sovereignty over our land, and to prevent any violation from the outside or inside infiltrators, who provide an additional pretext for aggression."

The President continued to underline the need for "greater internal unity around the national goals agreed upon in the inaugural speech and the government's statement.

"This is what we will embody in our work and cooperation with the government and its prime minister, to thwart any attempt to squander this exceptional opportunity to save Lebanon," Aoun affirmed.

=========R.Sh.