Below is a statement by Prime Minister Najib Mikati after a Cabinet meeting on Saturday following Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's death:
"Honorable ministers,
Fellow Lebanese,
In light of the brutal Israeli aggression that has targeted most areas of our beloved homeland, I address you today, knowing that this is not a time for words. I urge you to confront what is happening with a sense of national responsibility that preserves our unity and reaffirms our solidarity. One of the Israeli enemy's objectives is to undermine this unity, which has long been our strongest weapon against their criminal plans.
Our national responsibility in this historic and exceptional moment requires us to set aside political disagreements, divergent positions, and differing choices so that we can come together to protect and strengthen our homeland.
I implore you today to put aside our political differences, distant positions, and varied choices and to unite in preserving and protecting our country.
The martyrs who have fallen from all regions, who have watered the earth with their blood, the wounded filling our hospitals and health centers, and our people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and lands are all crying out for everyone to forget what divides us and focus on what unites us.
Our solidarity today in these decisive moments for our homeland is the strongest response to Israeli aggression.
The government is doing everything possible to
confront this hateful, destructive war waged by Israel against us. We have approached the United Nations to seek a solution, but the enemy came with a treacherous intent, planning more massacres.
In every meeting I held at the United Nations, I sensed unwavering support from Lebanon's friends, emphasizing the need to halt Israeli aggression. However, the 'law of the jungle' that governs the world has allowed the Israeli enemy to thwart all efforts for a ceasefire and to continue its war against Lebanon, as it disregards both law and international charters.
What happened yesterday and continues to occur in the southern suburbs of Beirut and several other areas serves as clear evidence of the Israeli enemy's sinister intentions. Nevertheless, we reaffirm our commitment to international legitimacy and international law, and we again call for an end to Israeli aggression and for the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and all related international resolutions.
The government, with all its civil, military, security, health, and humanitarian agencies, continues to fulfill its duty in collaboration with citizens who have opened their homes to accommodate others, as well as community organizations, associations, and humanitarian and health bodies. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to them for their cooperation and dedication during the past few days.
Despite all this, I apologize for any shortcomings that have occurred given our limited resources and the overwhelming needs, as the displacement of our citizens in targeted areas has exceeded all expectations. Today, we will take a series of measures and actions to provide the necessary humanitarian, health, and social support to welcome and embrace our people while preserving their dignity and addressing the urgent challenges posed by the influx of displaced individuals. The state is the protector of its citizens and the guarantor of their dignity.
We are called, in this critical moment, to renew our unity and embody it through swift action to elect a president for the republic, thus saving our homeland and protecting our people. This is a collective responsibility that excludes no one; the danger threatens us all without distinction between groups, sects, or communities.
In these difficult times, we reaffirm the role of the army and security forces in protecting the homeland, safeguarding its borders, maintaining the unity of its people, and preserving its role.
May God have mercy on the honorable martyrs,
Heal the wounds of the injured,
Return all displaced persons to their land,
And protect Lebanon."