Lebanon's army will use every available means to confront any potential "Israeli aggression" no matter the cost, the military's commander said on Monday.
"I affirm again our categorical rejection of the Israeli enemy infringing on Lebanon's sovereignty and its sacred right to exploit all its economic resources," the Lebanese army quoted Gen. Joseph Aoun as saying on Twitter. "The army will not spare any method available to confront any Israeli aggression, whatever the cost."
U.S. diplomats have mediated recently between the two countries after a surge in tensions over a border wall which Israel is building and over Lebanon's decision to explore possible offshore energy reserves near disputed waters.
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said Monday he was worried about the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group.
Hezbollah said last week it could act against Israeli oil facilities if necessary in a Lebanon-Israel offshore energy dispute.
According to Guterres, the latest signals from Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah showed a willingness to avoid such a scenario but "sometimes a spark is enough to unleash this kind of a conflict."
"I am deeply worried about hard-to-foresee escalations in the whole region," Gutteres told reporters in his native Lisbon, also referring to Israel's concerns about various militia groups in Syria approaching its borders.
"The worst nightmare would be if there is a direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. … The level of destruction in Lebanon would be absolutely devastating, so there are major points of concern around this situation," he said.
The powerful Shiite group is part of Lebanon's coalition government. Israel sees Hezbollah as the biggest security threat on its borders.
