Hariri: Lebanon is not an unmanned drone

Former Lebanese PM blasts Hezbollah for dispatching UAV to Israel, dragging Lebanon into risky exploits

Elior Levy|Published: 10.13.12 , 13:09

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that "Lebanon is not an unmanned drone," referring to the aerial vehicle allegedly dispatched by Hezbollah to Israel last week.

“During this very critical moment in the region, all Lebanese who reject actions that threaten Lebanon’s national interest… need to shoulder the responsibility so that everyone understands once and for all that Lebanon is not an unmanned drone,” Hariri told the An-Nahar newspaper.

Related stories:

Hariri lauded the stance taken by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman regarding the drone mission, noting that the leader's position “expressed deep concerns over the uncalculated risks which Hezbollah wants to drag Lebanon into.”

Suleiman said Friday that Hezbollah’s decision to send a UAV to Israel shows the urgent need for a national defense strategy that would utilize the militant group’s capabilities in defending the country.

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday claimed responsibility for the drone mission, which was shot down by Israel. Nasrallh further noted that the drone was made in Iran.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian commander said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has enhanced its defense capabilities to the level of strategic deterrence, Press TV reported.

Commander Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari told military personnel in the Northern Khorasan province that the IRGC has "enormously increased its defense capability and deterrence by merging its professional ground forces and Basij, enhancing missile range and boosting the naval defense and strike power, and enhanced it to the level of strategic deterrence.”