Lebanese prime minister visits troops near border with Israel

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited troops on the country’s southern border with Israel on Tuesday.

Mikati visited his country’s border with Israel for the first time since fighting began in the wake of an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel earlier this month.

Mikati’s visit also came after a visit to the border by his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, two days before.

Mikati is trying to stop the current Israel-Hamas conflict from expanding into his country. The Lebanese-based militant group, Hezbollah, has fired rockets into Israel in recent weeks and the U.S. is worried about a broader war breaking out.

Hezbollah has a large army and is seen as a much more muscular opponent than Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Israel and Hezbollah have had conflict before. In 2006, the two got into a war that lasted a month and resulted in a stalemate. Hezbollah has warned Israel about its expected ground invasion into Gaza, which is already facing dire humanitarian circumstances along with repeated bombardment from Israel.

The deputy leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said his group is in the “heart” of the war to “defend Gaza and confront the occupation,” according to The Associated Press.

“Its finger is on the trigger to whatever extent it deems necessary for the confrontation,” Kassem tweeted, according to The Associated Press.

On Saturday, Israel Defense Force (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus stated his concern about the current conflict’s expansion.

“We are concerned, and we urge the state of Lebanon to think twice or maybe 200 times if they really want to jeopardize what’s left of Lebanese sovereignty and prosperity for the sake of a bunch of terrorists in Gaza,” Conricus said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

The Associated Press contributed.

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