Lebanese FM meets with senior Israeli officials in Moscow - report

Saudi newspaper 'Elaph' reported that the two "discussed borders" and mutual interests including Syria and Iran.

By ILANIT CHERNICK
Givati reconnaissance battalion completes drill simulating war with Hezbollah (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
Givati reconnaissance battalion completes drill simulating war with Hezbollah
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has reportedly met with a senior official in Moscow and "discussed borders," Saudi Arabian newspaper Elaph reported.
The source told Elaph that the meeting lasted about two hours under the auspices of Russia. The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including the Syrian issue, the Assad regime and the issue of Iranian weapons factories in Lebanon.
The Israeli official reportedly told Bassil that Israel does not see Lebanon as an enemy, but will not hesitate to strike Iranian and Hezbollah interests in Lebanon.
The report also claimed that the Lebanese minister had asked the Israeli's "to stop threatening Lebanon because of Hezbollah, saying that Hezbollah is part of the components of Lebanon and the Lebanese state will know how to accommodate all parties and groups under its sovereign."
The source also told Elpah that the Lebanese minister discussed the issue of US sanctions on Lebanon with the Israeli official and asked him to mediate with the Americans about sanctions imposed on Lebanon, and asked the official to mediate with the American side and not to rush with the imposition of the sanctions, and to give Lebanon time to prepare for it.
In February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of UN ambassadors that “Iran has proxies...One of them is Hezbollah."
"Hezbollah just joined the government of Lebanon. That’s a misnomer; they actually control the government of Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “It means that Iran controls the government of Lebanon.”
Late last year, Israel launched a short operation named Northern Shield to neutralize cross-border Hezbollah attack tunnels.
At the time of the operations launch, Netanyahu made it clear that Hezbollah would
In September, during his speech to the UN, Netanyahu revealed that Hezbollah, together with Iran, had set up a number of precision missile factories in Beirut. "In Lebanon, Iran supports Hezbollah in building secret facilities and precision missiles capable of hitting deep inside Israel, with missiles with a precision of 10 meters," Netanyahu said, adding that "Hezbollah uses innocent people in Beirut as shields."
Netanyahu made it clear in his speech that "Israel knows what you are doing and where you are doing, and will not let you get away with it."
Maariv contributed to this report.