Lebanese soldiers near Israeli border
Lebanese soldiers near Israeli borderHaim Azulay /Flash90

The commander of Lebanon’s military called on the army to prepare for a possible conflict with Israel Tuesday, ordering forces deployed near the southern border be placed on high alert.

In a tweet by a spokesperson for the Lebanese military, Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s US-trained Maronite Christian army chief who entered the position this spring, called on soldiers near the Israeli border to be on “full readiness”.

Aoun was quoted in the tweet as saying that the Lebanese army must be prepared to face “threats of the Israeli enemy and its violations.”

Aoun’s comments come just days after Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil threatened Israel, claiming his country would defeat the Jewish state militarily if provoked.

"We should not be provoking Israel into a war simply because it is likely to lose it. We should restrain Israel from starting a war exactly because Lebanon is sure to win it," he told RT.

Lebanon’s saber-rattling comes following the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who stepped down earlier this month during a trip to Saudi Arabia, claiming in a recorded video message that his “life is being targeted”.

Hariri, who has been backed in the past by the Saudi government, formed a coalition government less than one year ago, bringing in the Hezbollah terrorist group’s political wing in as a coalition partner.

Hariri has denied claims that he is being held captive in Saudi Arabia, and that he was forced to step down.