Beirut: A senior French politician urged
Israel to exercise "great restraint" during a visit to Beirut
on Wednesday, amid a war of words between the Jewish state and
Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah.
"The French parliament today calls on Israel to exercise
great restraint, and we mean it," said Gerard Larcher, head of
the French senate, or upper house of parliament.
"French parliamentarians of all political affiliations
await ... the end of all escalating threats in the region,
especially as concerns Lebanon," Larcher told a news
conference.
Larcher was ending a four-day official visit to Lebanon
during which he held talks with top leaders and a Hezbollah
delegation.
Israeli officials have warned repeatedly that any attack
by Hezbollah will spark a tough response against Lebanon as a
whole, and they have also been locked in a war of words with
Syria, a main supporter of Hezbollah.
Yesterday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed to
unleash his guerrilla group's military might on Israel's
infrastructure, including Tel Aviv airport, should Israel
attack Lebanon.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said Damascus would
back "the government and people of Lebanon against any
possible Israeli aggression launched on Lebanon."
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 00:47