The vice president of the Shiite Higher Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, warned on Sunday against "traps set in Lebanon to trigger a serious internal conflict," in a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Hezbollah supporters have been protesting since Thursday against the ban on two Iranian flights landing in Lebanon, suspected of transferring funds to the party. Saturday's demonstration was the first officially organized by this party, which also reacted this Sunday, believing it detected '"a suspicious maneuver aimed at turning the Lebanese army against the people."

According to Khatib, "the trap set by the Zionist enemy and the United States of America" aims to "pit the Lebanese army and security forces against the people in the street."

"Preventing, under false pretenses, the Iranian civil aviation threatened by the Zionists from landing at Beirut airport is just one of these hypocritical attempts aimed at destabilizing Lebanon and igniting it from within," he said, as Washington warned Beirut about an Israeli strike.

A convoy from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) heading to the airport was attacked last Friday, and two Nepalese peacekeepers were injured. UNIFIL said it was "shocked by an outrageous attack on peacekeepers who have worked to restore security and stability in south Lebanon." On Saturday evening, the Lebanese army made arrests in Burj Barajneh, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in connection with incidents on the airport road.

The religious dignitary also called on the Lebanese government to "be aware of the seriousness of the situation, to handle these attempts with wisdom and courage, and to deal with the issues in accordance with the Lebanese national interest and Lebanon's sovereignty over its territory and decisions," adding that it was "in no way acceptable for Beirut airport and its air traffic to be subject to the enemy's decision and for Lebanese relations with the rest of the world to be subject to the will of the Zionists."

Khatib also mentioned the issue of the Israeli occupation of about ten localities in the border area. "Patience has limits, and the Zionist entity must stop its continued aggression and completely withdraw from our land before things get out of control. The Lebanese state must make every effort to achieve total liberation and control over every centimeter of our national soil."