• ‘Existential dangers surround us and the region,’ PM Mikati tells ministers
• Preparations being made for possible displacement of 1 million Lebanese

Najia Houssari

BEIRUT: Israeli forces fired phosphorus and fragmentation shells close to the Lebanese towns of Blida and Aitaroun on Wednesday afternoon in response to Hezbollah launching guided missiles at two Israeli army posts in Al-Malikiyah and Al-Bayadh.

The resumption in fighting came after a morning of cautious calm between the two sides following sporadic military operations overnight in which a young Lebanese man was killed.

During a meeting of the Lebanese Cabinet to discuss the country’s engagement in the conflict, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told ministers and their political parties that there was “a race between a ceasefire and the situation getting out of hand” and that “national solidarity is necessary.”

“Existential dangers surround us and the region, and it is our duty to meet, engage in dialogue and think together to reach a comprehensive national solution,” he said.

The Lebanese government has drawn up an emergency plan to protect its citizens from the fallout from Israeli aggression in the region. It seeks to “meet the needs of the displaced Lebanese and provide them with relief in the event of widespread forced displacement from their homes to safer places in Lebanon.”

The government said the plan was based on the possibility of “the forced displacement of 1 million Lebanese for a period extending over 45 days, which would require collective shelter centers that accommodate 20 percent of the displaced.”

This would “alleviate pressure on the health sector and provide humanitarian necessities for the displaced in the shelter centers,” it said.

Under the plan, Lebanon will also cooperate “with United Nations organizations for three non-Lebanese population groups: Palestinian refugees with UNRWA, Syrian refugees with UNHCR and foreign workers with the International Organization for Migration.”