Prime Minister Mikati: Lebanon is at war amid clashes between Israel and Hezbollah

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister has declared his country is in a state of war as nine months of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah heighten fears of an Israeli invasion of the country.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati made the statement during a visit to southern Lebanon on Saturday, where he expressed hope that the war would not escalate. National News Agency reported.

“We have always stood for peace and our choice is peace and the implementation of Resolution 1701. Israel must stop its repeated attacks on Lebanon and end the war in Gaza and everyone must implement international resolution No. 2735,” he said.

UN Resolution 1701, which ended Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 2006, called for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as well as the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River and Israel from Lebanon.

UN Resolution 2735 calls for the implementation of a three-stage ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the exchange of hostages and emphasizes the need for a two-state solution.

“We stand with our people. The resistance is doing its duty, the Lebanese government is doing its duty and our goal is to protect the country in the truest sense of the word,” Mikati added.

His comments come as the threat of an Israeli invasion grows as the intensity of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah and the rhetoric of both sides have increased. The Israeli army has said it approved plans to invade Lebanon upon request.

According to the Times of IsraelCiting Hebrew media, two hospitals in northern Israel are on high alert due to a possible outbreak of war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Directors of Galilee Medical Center and Ziv Hospital say they have increased supplies at one hospital, with Ziv Hospital asking its staff to prepare for longer hospital stays.

“The level of preparedness required of us has been high for almost nine months, but now it seems we need to increase it even further,” Masad Barhoum of the Galilee Medical Center was quoted as saying.

A growing number of countries, including Ireland, Kuwait and Germany, have also warned their citizens not to leave Lebanon, while Canada and the United States are making evacuation preparations in the event of war.

Since the outbreak of the latest Israeli war against Gaza, clashes have been taking place between Hezbollah and Israel on October 8.