Yemeni official calls for Lebanese unity against Israel

Abdul Wahid Abu Ras, Yemen's deputy foreign minister, stated on Saturday that the Israeli attack earlier that day on a Lebanese army vehicle carrying two high-ranking military officials and a soldier demonstrated that Israel is against Lebanon as a whole, according to Press TV. The comments followed Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's accusation that Hezbollah was creating discord by continuing to fight Israel despite government efforts to reach a settlement. Abu Ras argued that Israel's direct attack on the Lebanese army proved the government wrong about Israel's intentions. He asked, "Is it not the time for the residents of the Baabda Palace to support their army, resistance, and people in confronting their true enemy, the criminal Zionist regime?" These remarks come amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Hezbollah's retaliation. The pro-Western Lebanese government has linked Israeli attacks, which have killed thousands and displaced nearly two million people over three months, to Hezbollah and its ties with Iran. Hezbollah has rejected government efforts to negotiate directly with Israel aimed at disarming the resistance. Abu Ras warned that any concession to Israel would enable more crimes and affirmed Yemen's continued support for the resistance in Lebanon. According to Mehr News, the report by Press TV added that Abu Ras emphasized the need for unity.