BEIRUT, September 23. /TASS/. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strikes on the Lebanese territory a "war of annihilation," calling on the international community to contain the aggressor.

"The ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon is a war of annihilation in every sense of the word, it is the implementation of a plan aimed at destroying Lebanese villages and settlements <...>," Mikati stressed during a speech at a governmental meeting. The press service of the Lebanese cabinet quoted his words on its Facebook page (outlawed in Russia; owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia).

"<...> We call on the UN, the organization's Security Council, and influential countries to stand on the side of truth and deter [Israel's] aggression <...>," the prime minister added. According to him, the Lebanese government is doing its best to stop the "Israeli war."

Earlier, the Lebanese media reported about the continued intensive aircraft shelling of several areas in southern Lebanon. For its part, the IDF press service announced striking 300 sites of the Shiite movement Hezbollah on the Lebanese territory. IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari called on residents in southern Lebanon to stay away from residential buildings, presumably used by the Shia military group to store weapons, including rockets.

The situation in the Middle East became sharply aggravated on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel declared a complete blockade of Gaza and launched strikes against it and parts of Lebanon and Syria before launching a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.