Lebanese government says Israeli attacks are "akin to genocide"

 The Lebanese government has requested an emergency meeting of the United National Security Council following the latest Israeli strike in Beirut, accusing Israel of carrying out acts “akin to genocide” on Lebanese soil.

The Lebanese caretaker cabinet said in a statement posted on X that Friday’s “targeting of a populated residential area once again proves that the Israeli enemy has no regard for humanitarian, legal, or moral considerations, but continues what resembles genocide.”

“This new aggression is a matter of conscience for the international community, which remains silent about violations of human rights and justice,” the statement said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his ministers were informed of the strike during a cabinet meeting, at which he said the latest Israeli attacks in Lebanon — including the pager explosions this week — were “a disgraceful and condemned criminal act, akin to genocide and a horrific massacre.”

While urging the international community to act in the face of Israeli military action, Mikati said Lebanon has received calls from international senior officials confirming that Israel “has crossed the red lines.”

Mikati also announced he will travel to New York on Friday to address the United Nations directly, and he will file a bid to “introduce international laws to safeguard civilian technologies from being used for military purposes.