Mikati: I call on our people to trust that necessary efforts ongoing to keep any harm away from Lebanon

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Sunday that diplomatic communications on an international and regional level, as well as local meetings, are ongoing to halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon, particularly in the south, and prevent the spread of the conflict in Gaza to Lebanon.

'I understand the fear and concern that the Lebanese people are experiencing due to the ongoing events, and the calls from several embassies for their citizens to leave Lebanon. However, I will not hesitate to exert every effort to protect Lebanon,' he stated addressing visitors today.

He added that “the meetings and preparations we are undertaking to develop an emergency plan to face potential events are a fundamental precautionary step. We are facing a historic enemy with a bloody history. Yet, at the same time, we are reassured that Lebanon's true friends continue to make every effort to return the situation to normal and prevent it from deteriorating further.'

He continued by saying that “the measures taken at the airport and by Middle East Airlines are also preventive and cautious, considering risk management considerations. We have not received any information indicating any tragic event at the airport. Hopefully, these exceptional measures will be brief, and the situation will return to normal afterwards.”

He stated that “in times of crisis and challenges, rumors and false news proliferate, some of which fall within the framework of psychological warfare against the Lebanese to demoralize them. But I am confident that our people will overcome this ordeal as they have done before, and they will not allow the enemy to undermine their resilience.”

Mikati concluded by saying that “at the beginning of the crisis, we preferred to adopt silent actions away from the media. However, some exploited that to launch an unjustified campaign against the government and sow panic among the people. To confront that, I decided to keep the Lebanese people informed in real-time about our actions. I call on our people to trust that we are continuing the necessary efforts to keep any harm away from Lebanon.'"