NNA - In his delivered word at the beginning of the cabinet session this evening, Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for "a minute of silence in mourning for the soul of the martyr, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and all the martyrs who fell as a result of the war of extermination waged by the Israeli enemy against Lebanon."

Mikati urged everyone to demonstrate national responsibility in light of the horror of what our dear homeland is being subjected to, in terms of the brutal Israeli aggression that has affected most Lebanese regions.

"Our national responsibility at this historic and exceptional moment requires putting aside political differences so that we all meet on what preserves and protects the homeland and strengthens it," Mikati underscored.

He added, "I implore you today to put aside our political differences, divergent positions, and different options, and to all rally around what preserves and protects our homeland."

He also said that "the government is doing everything in its power to confront this destructive, hateful war that Israel is waging against us," adding, "We went to the United Nations to reach a solution, but the enemy went with the intention of treachery and plotting for more massacres."

Mikati apologized for any shortcomings that may have occurred on part of the government in tending to the urgent needs of the displaced families, saying, "The displacement of our children in the targeted areas has reached a level that has exceeded all expectations."

Mikati reiterated his call for "stopping the Israeli aggression and implementing international resolution 1701 and all relevant international resolutions," and renewed Lebanon's commitment to international legitimacy and international law.

He added, “We are called upon at this fateful moment to renew our unity and embody it by working quickly to elect a president for the republic so that we can save our country and protect our people. This is a collective responsibility that does not exclude anyone, as the danger threatens us and does not distinguish between one group and another, or one sect and another, or one component and another."

"At this difficult time, we also reaffirm the role of the army and security forces in protecting the country, preserving its borders, the unity of its people, and its role," Mikati concluded.

===========R.Sh.