Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar announced that “Lebanon is handing over the presidency of this session to the Council of Arab Interior Ministers at a delicate and critical stage that our Arab nation is going through, which imposes on us a higher level of coordination and integration, more than ever before.” He considered that “the increasing attacks and security challenges witnessed by some sister Arab countries constitute a source of grave concern for all of us, and it is something we condemn and reject categorically, as it entails a violation of the sovereignty of these countries and a threat to their security and stability.” Al-Hajjar stressed, “We reject everything that might threaten civil peace in our Arab societies, or seek to destabilize them through terrorist or sabotage activities outside the law.” He also pointed out that "Lebanon is being exposed to devastating Israeli attacks, in the context of a war imposed on it, and it has sought by all means to avoid it, and Lebanon affirms its legitimate right to protect its land and people." Al-Hajjar emphasized that “Lebanon looks forward to the support of its Arab brothers and the international community, to stop this unjust war, remove the Israeli occupation from its land, respect its full sovereignty, and support the Lebanese government’s decision to extend its authority over its entire territory exclusively by its own forces.” The Minister stressed that “the security of our countries is a shared Arab responsibility, and our permanent cooperation is the way to confront dangers, whatever their source, in a way that preserves the security of our societies and their right to stability and development.”