Lebanon’s president likens Israeli drones to ‘declaration of war’

President Michel Aoun said on Monday that Lebanon had a right to defend itself, likening Israeli drone strikes to a “declaration of war” amid rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

Israel’s military said its northern command was on high alert at the borders with Syria and Lebanon and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri urged diplomats to help prevent a “dangerous escalation.”

After two drones crashed on Sunday in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are dominated by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed movement warned Israel to await a response.

In a speech on Sunday, the leader of the heavily armed Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, issued the toughest threats to his enemy in years and said the drones had launched a “new phase”.

While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the Beirut drone attack, Nasrallah deemed it the first Israeli attack inside Lebanon since the two sides fought a month-long war in 2006.

Only hours later, a Palestinian faction said Israeli drones had struck a military position it holds in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley before dawn on Monday.

“What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,” the Lebanese president’s office quoted Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, as saying on Twitter on Monday.

“We are a people seeking peace, not war, and we don’t accept anyone threatening us in any war.”