Lebanon tells army to confront Israeli aggression on land, sea borders

Lebanon’s Higher Defence Council has instructed its army to confront “Israeli aggression” on the country’s land and sea borders.

“The Israeli wall, if it is constructed on our borders, is an assault on our sovereignty and a violation of Resolution 1701” the council warned in a statement after a meeting in the presidential palace in Beirut chaired by President Michel Aoun.

Israel has recently announced that it will build a wall along its border with Lebanon to “confront infiltrators”.

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The council’s statement also rejected remarks by Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman in which he claimed that Israel owns Block 9, an offshore oil and gas field.

“When they issue a tender on a gas field, including Block 9, which by any standard is ours… this is very, very challenging and provocative conduct here” Lieberman said in an earlier statement.

“The council decided to continue to act at all regional and international levels to confront and prevent Israel from building the wall” the statement said, adding that “Israel is also attacking the exclusive economic zone with an area of 860 square kilometres”.