Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Greece and Cyprus - report

Senior Lebanese officials have informed Israel that their country will not be a base for an Iranian response via Hezbollah or any other party if war breaks out between Iran and the U.S.

By YASSER OKBI/MAARIV
Lebanese President Michel Aoun talks on the eve of the country's 75th independence day at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon November 21, 2018. (photo credit: DALATI NOHRA / REUTERS)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun talks on the eve of the country's 75th independence day at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon November 21, 2018.
(photo credit: DALATI NOHRA / REUTERS)
In the shadow of tension between the United States and Iran, senior Lebanese officials have informed Israel, through a third party, that their country will not be a base for an Iranian response via Hezbollah or any other party if war breaks out between Iran and the US, reported the Independent Arabia website.
An Israeli source told the London-based website that the messages were conveyed "by very senior officials in Lebanon via emissaries and others."
The website reported that Lebanese President Michel Aoun informed Israeli officials by a special envoy that he "understood from his ally Hezbollah that the organization does not intend to attack Israel, although it may respond to an American attack on Iran, possibly inside the Gulf."
It was also reported that the Lebanese president rejected outright any interference by his country in a possible confrontation between Tehran and Washington, stressing that Beirut's position was "negotiations between Iran and the United States, since the war is not in the interest of either side."
The source stressed that Israel and Lebanon are seriously examining the issue of delineation of sea and land borders, and that significant progress has recently been made in this matter through American mediation, as well as the "secret dialogue taking place in the Middle East region."
The Arabic website claimed that "meetings between Lebanese and Israeli officials have recently been held in Greece and Cyprus" and that former Southern Lebanese Army operatives have made connections between Aoun and senior Israeli officials.