by Daniel Siryoti, Eldad Beck, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Senior Arab official to Israel Hayom: Feeling among Arab leaders and Israel is that this is last chance to stop Iranian threat diplomatically
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An IDF tank on the border with Lebanon, Saturday
Photo: AFP
Tensions along Israel's northern border continued to simmer on Saturday when an IDF tank fired a shell as a "warning shot" after the Syrian military engaged in construction near the Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights.
According to the IDF, the Syrian army violated the 1974 cease-fire agreement on the Golan Heights by using heavy tools to fortify a military post in the demilitarized zone between the countries.
The IDF also said it issued a complaint with the United Nations peacekeeper force stationed on the Golan.
The incident comes amid Israeli concerns about the growing presence of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah in Syria, as it transitions into a post-civil war reality. Israel has repeatedly warned that it will defend its interests and prevent Iran from establishing a foothold in the area.
Meanwhile, questions surrounding former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's unexpected resignation two weeks ago went largely unanswered over the weekend, even after the embattled leader's arrival in Paris from the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Hariri and his family met Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited the Lebanese leader to Paris to dispel fears that he was being held in Saudi Arabia against his will. Macron is seeking to calm tensions and avert a proxy conflict between Saudi-backed and Iranian-backed camps in Lebanon.
A senior Arab official told Israel Hayom that the "feeling among Arab leaders in the region, and in Israel, is that this was the last chance to resolve the Iranian threat in the region diplomatically. If the move fails, no one can imagine the slippery slope the entire region is liable to enter."
Also speaking to Israel Hayom, a senior Arab diplomat said the Saudi government presented Hariri with an ultimatum: "Either you are with us in preventing Lebanon's 'abduction' by Iran and its Hezbollah proxy, or you are against us."
Arab news outlets, meanwhile, reported that Hezbollah over the weekend ordered its fighters to prepare for the possibility of an Israeli offensive against the organization in southern Lebanon and Syria. According to the reports, senior Hezbollah officials said the organization was convinced that Israel and Saudi Arabia were coordinated on the option of an Israeli attack in Lebanon.
The reports also said that Hezbollah, which allotted some 80% of its manpower to the war in Syria, has begun moving forces back to south Lebanon.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman took to Facebook on Saturday and wrote: "Forty years after [former Egyptian President Anwar] Sadat's historic visit to Israel, I call on leaders in the region to follow in his footsteps, come to Jerusalem and turn over a new leaf not just for Israeli relations with the Arab world, but for the entire region. The Middle East needs a coalition of moderate countries against Iran. The coalition against Islamic State has concluded its work."
Hariri's appearance in Paris – looking relaxed and posing with his wife and older son on the steps of the Elysee Palace with the French presidential couple in front of a large crowd of journalists – contrasted with his limited-access, carefully choreographed appearances from Saudi Arabia.
Hariri told Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Saturday that he would take part in Independence Day celebrations in Beirut on Wednesday, according to Macron's office.
After his meeting with Macron, Hariri told reporters: "God willing, I will attend Independence Day in Lebanon and will declare my political stance from Lebanon and after meeting President Michel Aoun."
"As you know I have resigned and we will talk about this matter in Lebanon," Hariri said after thanking Macron, who he added "expressed pure friendship toward me that I will never forget."
The Independence Day ceremony is usually headed by the president, prime minister and parliament speaker, and Hariri's presence could help calm uncertainties that have escalated since his surprising resignation.
However, Hariri's political status is murky. Aoun has refused to accept Hariri's resignation, accusing the Saudis of holding him against his will.
A senior official in Macron's office said Hariri's place is first in Beirut, "which is the only place where he can hand his resignation to the Lebanese head of state."
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with French presidential policy, found it normal that Hariri would keep any announcement about his political stance for his fellow citizens.
Before leaving Riyadh, Hariri dismissed as "rumors" reports about his alleged detention in the kingdom.
In his Nov. 4 televised resignation announcement, Hariri had cited Iran and Hezbollah for meddling in Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. He also said he was afraid for his life.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday spoke with Macron about the situation in Lebanon and Syria, and both leaders agreed on the need to work with allies to counter Hezbollah and Iran's "destabilizing activities in the region," the White House said.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday asked its citizens for the second time in less than two weeks to leave Lebanon "as soon as possible" given the "circumstances" there. That raised fears of more punitive actions to come.
The French presidential official said it is essential that Lebanon be protected from "negative" foreign influences because the country needs stability and a strong state. The official didn't name any specific nations but said Lebanon should be protected from the "dangers that regional crises can pose to it."
The Arab League was due to hold a meeting on Sunday in Cairo at Saudi Arabia's urging where the crisis in Lebanon and Iran's role in the region are expected to be discussed.
Just before leaving Saudi Arabia, Hariri met with the Saudi crown prince and other senior officials, according to a member of Hariri's political party and two Lebanese television stations.
Hariri's younger son and daughter, Abdul-Aziz and Loulwa, remained in Saudi Arabia because they have school on Sunday, said Okab Saqr, a member of Hariri's parliamentary bloc.
The official with the French presidency said France is not worried that Hariri left two of his children in Saudi Arabia.
"We have no reason to be concerned about this," the French official said, answering questions about whether, as some have suggested, Saudi Arabia could use the children's whereabouts to maintain pressure on Hariri.
Hariri's exact next steps after his planned visit to Lebanon are unclear. Another French official said Saturday that France is offering Hariri the necessary support during this time of political turmoil in his country. The official was not authorized to be publicly named.
While Macron insists that he was not offering "exile," Hariri's return could be complicated by Lebanon's internal tensions.
During a phone call on Saturday morning, Macron and Aoun spoke about a return of Hariri to Lebanon that could help make Lebanese institutions "function normally again," the French presidential official said.
The French involvement in the matter is part of a broader Macron strategy to reassert France's influence in the region, while the United States under Trump is increasingly seen as unpredictable or disengaged. Macron's office said France's strategy was to talk to all powers in the region and not to appear as choosing a camp.
Daniel Siryoti, Eldad Beck, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2017/11/19/israel-fires-warning-shot-after-syrian-border-construction/
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