Lebanese Prime Minister Asked By US State Secretary To Avoid Tensions With Israel - Gov't

BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has asked Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri during their phone conversation to refrain from taking actions that may escalate tensions over the resent Israeli drone attack, the prime minister's press service said on Sunday.

In the early hours of Sunday, members of Hezbollah Shiite militant group shot down an Israeli drone in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Both the president and the prime minister of Lebanon decried what they called the Israeli attack, claiming it to be a violation of their country's sovereignty.

The Lebanese permanent representative is expected to lodge a complaint over the incident with the UN Security Council.

"During the discussion, the state secretary confirmed the necessity of moving away from any escalation," the press service's statement read.

Lebanon has been complaining for a long time about Israel's use of Lebanese airspace, saying that such actions violate the sovereignty of the republic and the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, enacted after the 2006 conflict between the two countries.