Lebanon's president likens Israeli drone strikes to a "declaration of war"
President Michel Aoun said on Monday Lebanon had a right to defend itself after Israeli drone strikes that he likened to a "declaration of war".
Two drones crashed early on Sunday in Beirut's southern suburbs, which are dominated by the heavily armed Hezbollah, prompting the Iran-backed movement to warn Israeli soldiers at the border to await a response.
In a Sunday speech, the leader of the Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah issued the toughest threats to his enemy in years and said the drone attacks had launched a "new phase".
Only hours later, Israeli drones struck a military position belonging to a Palestinian faction in Lebanon's Bekaa valley before dawn on Monday, the group said.
"What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty," Aoun's office quoted him as saying on Twitter.
"We are a people seeking peace not war, and we don't accept anyone threatening us in any war," added Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah.
