On the Israeli terrorist attacks on Lebanon
Lebanon-International, Politics, 6/25/1999

US officials were surprised by the large-scale Israeli aggression against Lebanon. They rushed immediately to contact officials in Israel, Syria and Lebanon to halt the escalation.

A US official at the State Department told the Lebanese daily al-Safir, "We view with great concern the escalation of confrontation, and we are in contacts will all sides to urge them to abide by the utmost self-control."

Other American officials described the escalation as "very dangerous." While certain US officials expressed their regret because outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is still responsible for the daily matters in Israel was the one who ordered the escalation, they also expressed similar regret over the Hizbullah Party's firing of the Katyusha missiles on the northern part of Israel.

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss talked with the Lebanese embassy in Washington and asked through ambassador Fareed Abboud for the Americans "to interfere to stop the Israelis," according to US sources. Lebanon, on the other hand, called for convening a meeting for the April Understanding committee, but the meeting could not be held because of the absence of the French representation.

On Thursday night, Washington time, the Lebanese ambassador to the US, Fareed Abboud, met with the director of the Middle East department at the White House national security council Robert Mall to discuss the situation. The Lebanese ambassador urged the US official to intervene to halt the Israeli raids.

It was not possible to contact the Syrian FM who was on his way back from Canada to Damascus.

The Israeli escalation, however, is being made at a time when US Undersecretary of State for Middle East Affairs Martin Indyk was in Paris following his return from a Gulf tour.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Hoss: No unilateral agreement with Israel; no merger for SLA troops in the army   (6/24/1999)
  Three Lebanese civilians wounded in south Lebanon by Israeli forces   (6/24/1999)
  Two SLA soldiers killed in south Lebanon   (6/23/1999)
  Lebanon minister: 319 Israeli attacks on Lebanon since April   (6/19/1999)

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