Lebanese Foreign Minister Denounced over Israel Comments

Lebanese politicians on Thursday criticized Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil over a news interview in which he said that Lebanon did not have an ideological problem with Israel and was not against it having security.

The comments, made to al-Mayadin channel during a long interview on Tuesday, had just started attracting attention.

A former government minister called on Bassil to resign and a member of parliament also criticized him.

Bassil’s office later said al-Mayadin had distorted his comments through its editing of the interview, without explaining how.

“We are not against Israel living in security,” he was shown saying in a clip that circulated widely in Lebanon on social media.