No direct threats to destroy Lebanon: Prime minister

BEIRUT

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed Saturday that there are no direct threats to destroy his country, considering that Israel is threatening a kind of preemptive war.

“The element of surprise for any Israeli strike no longer exists,” said Mikati after meeting with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai in Bkerke in eastern Beirut.

Regarding Lebanon receiving threats that it would be destroyed if it participated in the Iranian response to Israel, Mikati said: “There are no direct threats, but the threats that are made are a kind of preemptive war.”

“In military action, the most important element is surprise. There is no longer any surprise. I do not know if there will be a strike, but the element of surprise for any Israeli strike no longer exists, and therefore what was said and is being said is out of preemptive deterrence,” he said.

Israel is on high alert amid Iran's public vow to attack Israeli targets in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic facility in Syria.

Iran and Hezbollah, its main ally in Lebanon, have said the attack will not go unpunished.

Regarding the Syrian refugee issue, Mikati said, “The basic solution to the Syrian displacement issue is to consider most areas in Syria safe to deport the Syrians who came to Lebanon under the title of refugees.”

“We are conducting international contacts regarding the displaced persons issue," he added, without providing details.

The number of Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon is approximately 1.8 million, about 900,000 of whom are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to Lebanese estimates.

Mikati's comments come after Lebanese authorities arrested seven Syrians suspected of involvement in the killing of Lebanese politician, Pascal Suleiman, whose body was found in Syria last week, according to official statements.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi