Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of igniting “fires” in the Middle East that fuel escalation and has called for an immediate end to Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon.
Sheikh Mohammed was speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera after his country played a key role in mediating between the US and Iran to sign a memorandum of understanding and to begin negotiations towards a permanent peace deal.
Asked about Mr Netanyahu's actions, including his rejection of the US-Iran agreement and the escalation in Lebanon and Gaza that has left dozens dead in recent days, the Qatari Prime Minister said Israel had been fuelling tensions across the region for the past two years.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Prime Minister Netanyahu has created such circumstances. The continued occupation of Lebanese territory must end immediately, and Lebanon's sovereignty must be respected,” he said.
“Since 2024, Israel has continued to occupy parts of Lebanon and expand its presence there, in addition to its unlawful presence in Syria and its continued advance inside Syrian territory, as well as its failure to withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” added Sheikh Mohammed.
“Unfortunately, these actions contribute to further escalation in the region, while we are doing everything possible to extinguish these fires.”
The US-Iran negotiations in Burgenstock, Switzerland, led to the creation of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism between Israel and Hezbollah that includes Iran. The mechanism does not include Israel.
Lebanese officials contacted by The National declined to comment on the proposal, which would give Iran, Hezbollah's main backer, a formal role in Lebanese affairs and link the future of the Lebanese front to the outcome of the US-Iran negotiations.
The Qatari Prime Minister said the mechanism is designed to prevent escalation. “If an incident occurs in Lebanon, or there are indications that one may occur, it can be addressed before it develops,” he explained.
“The ceasefire must be implemented clearly and properly to avoid a repeat of what we witnessed over the past three days. It is unacceptable that around 100 people have been killed in Lebanon over the course of three days while Israeli attacks continue,” he added.
A 2024 ceasefire led to the creation of a US-led mechanism involving France, UN peacekeepers Unifil, Israel and Lebanon that was intended to serve as a channel for de-escalation along the border. It was repeatedly violated by Israel, which remained in southern Lebanon and carried out daily strikes across the country.
Hezbollah did not respond to those attacks until the conflict flared up again on March 2, when the militant group fired rockets at Israel in support of its backer, Iran.
The Qatari Prime Minister said the MoU between the US and Iran was “the result of tremendous efforts and weeks of continuous work with our partners in Pakistan, supported by regional countries and our international partners”.
“We faced challenges in the period between the signing of the agreement and the start of the first round of negotiations. These challenges were mainly related to Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, and we have established mechanisms to prevent such problems from recurring,” he added.
He said several issues were being discussed by Iran and the US, particularly those related to the nuclear file. Iran will also discuss security issues with regional parties.
“We are co-ordinating with our colleagues in the Gulf Co-operation Council, in addition to the issue of the strait, for which a permanent solution must be found in line with the GCC's vision,” he added.
He warned that “any escalation anywhere in the region, whether in Lebanon or elsewhere, will affect the negotiations”.
