Lebanon PM says Hezbollah is acting ‘wisely,’ says he is trying to avoid joining war

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister says he is working to ensure his country does not enter the Israel-Hamas war, even as Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging cross-border fire.

In an interview with AFP, Najib Mikati says he fears an escalation, with the border skirmishes stoking concerns that Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement could open a new front with Israel.

“I am doing my duty to prevent Lebanon from entering the war,” Mikati says. “Lebanon is in the eye of the storm,” he adds.

Mikati, who is on good terms with Hezbollah, says he has no “clear answer” about whether war looms ahead, adding that “it depends on regional developments.”

“For now Hezbollah has managed the situation rationally and wisely, and the rules of the game have remained constrained to certain limits,” Mikati claims. “But at the same time I feel like I cannot reassure Lebanese” because the situation is still developing.