Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab highlighted that the majority of victims of Israeli attacks in Lebanon were ordinary citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, during an interview with China Media Group (CMG).
Diab pointed to the tough conditions Lebanon is enduring in the wake of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and called for an urgent resolution to the Palestinian and Middle East issues
Israel was reportedly behind the pager explosions across Lebanon in September last year. Later, it launched air and ground strikes against Lebanon, resulting in the death of Hezbollah's former leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The two sides reached a ceasefire agreement more than two months later.
"The conditions in Lebanon have been very tough. And of course, I stayed in Beirut during that time, and the southern part of Beirut, Dahieh, was almost completely destroyed, as you saw from the pictures. And for the first time, the center of Beirut was hit multiple times. From my understanding, 99.9 percent of the victims are simply citizens—children, women, old people—normal people that have nothing to do with the conflict. So this is why I said, after almost eight decades of conflict, a solution has to be found for the Middle East, the Palestinian issue," said Diab.
He described the Israeli bombings as an "unprecedented war," revealing that he had lost many friends in the attacks.
"Absolutely, many friends that I have in different sectors have been affected. I mean, homes destroyed, injured, some actually killed in this conflict. So, it touches every Lebanese home. I think this unprecedented war," Diab said.
Diab said that the unending cycles of war and ceasefire have eroded his optimism about the future. He called on the international community to treat Lebanon fairly and take decisive action to bring the conflict to a lasting end.
"Well, I've always been optimistic in my life, but previous cycles of violence, and ceasefires, and wars, we may face another round of, I hope not. But I don't feel that Lebanon is being fairly treated in the sense that this conflict has deeply affected Lebanon and that international players should put an end to this once and for all," he said.
The economic impact of the recent Israel-Hezbollah conflict on Lebanon amounts to 14 billion U.S. dollars, with reconstruction and recovery costs estimated at an additional 11 billion U.S. dollars, according to a World Bank report.
Former Lebanese PM highlights civilian toll in Israeli attacks on Lebanon
Former Lebanese PM highlights civilian toll in Israeli attacks on Lebanon
