
‘We Are Not Your Enemy’: Ambassador Leiter’s Message to the Lebanese People
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, delivered an emotional message to the people of Lebanon on Sunday, May 31, setting out Israel’s position in its fight against Hezbollah. Speaking through a Lebanese media platform and addressing the country’s Shiite population directly, Leiter declared, “We are not your enemy.” He told his listeners that while Israelis feel their pain, the true source of that suffering is Hezbollah rather than Israel.
Leiter said Israel has no quarrel with the Lebanese people, placing responsibility squarely on Iran and its proxies and arguing that ordinary Lebanese are being held hostage to Tehran’s ambitions. He pointed to declarations by Iran’s supreme leader that Israel’s days are numbered, saying that when an adversary works relentlessly to destroy the Jewish state, Israel has no choice but to defend itself. Throughout the message, he kept returning to the theme that Israel’s fight is with Hezbollah and Iran, not with Lebanon’s civilians.
Growing tearful, Leiter expressed sorrow that the burden of the conflict has fallen on the Lebanese people, insisting that Israel did not place it there. He urged them to break free of Hezbollah and Iran, promising that if they did, they would find no better neighbor than Israel. His closing appeal was that Israel’s deepest wish is simply to live alongside Lebanon in peace.
(INN/VFI News)
“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” – Romans 12:18