IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee condemned on Saturday footage of Israeli soldiers burning a Lebanese flag amid operations against Hezbollah on X/Twitter.
"Since the beginning of the war on Hezbollah, we have said it clearly: Our war is not against the Lebanese people, but against those who violate Lebanon’s land, burn its sovereignty, and desecrate its symbols," Adraee wrote on X in Arabic. "Our war is against the terrorist Hezbollah, which has never been Lebanese in doctrine, ideology, or identity.
#هام منذ بدء الحرب على حزب الله، قلناها بوضوح: حربنا ليست ضد الشعب اللبناني، بل ضد من ينتهك أرض لبنان، ويحرق سيادته، ويدنس رموزه.حربنا ضد حزب الله الإرهابي، الذي لم يكن يومًا لبنانيًا لا في العقيدة، ولا الفكر، ولا الهوية. ومن هنا، نعتبر قيام بعض الجنود على حرق العلم اللبناني في… pic.twitter.com/A1KtAcyOcn
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 9, 2024
"Therefore, we consider the burning of the Lebanese flag by some soldiers in southern Lebanon to be an act that violates instructions, is unbecoming of the values of the IDF, and is not in line with the objectives of our military activities in Lebanon," he continued. "We are committed to ensuring that our operations are focused on targeting terrorist elements alone, without harming innocent Lebanese citizens."
He also noted his lack of surprise that Hezbollah-affiliated "mouthpieces," he described, are "exploiting the incident in an attempt to divert attention from a clear fact: Hezbollah is the one that does not respect the Lebanese flag."