'Lebanon to defend itself against Israel attacks': Aoun

By Wassim Seifeddin

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday said that his country will legitimately defend itself against any Israeli attack, according to a presidential statement.

"Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be met with legitimate self-defense. Israel will bear all its consequences," Aoun said.

His statement came during a meeting with the representative of the UN Secretary General to Beirut Jan Kubis at Baabda Palace, east of capital Beirut.

"Aoun told Kubis that the recent Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut constituted a departure from the rules of engagement reached after the issuance of UN Security Council Resolution 1701," the statement read.

Following the 2006 conflict between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was tasked with ensuring the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for a ceasefire between the warring sides and an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

On Aug. 25, an Israeli drone fell and another exploded in the southern suburb of capital Beirut.

The following day, three explosions were heard at military posts of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) group in the Qousaya area in eastern Lebanon, with a Lebanese official accusing Israel of being behind the incidents.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara