Lebanese PM calls for comprehensive ceasefire in S. Lebanon

29/7/2024 6:15

        Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Sunday called for a comprehensive ceasefire in southern Lebanon and the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701 to avoid escalation.
        He stressed "the government's position in condemning all forms of violence against civilians, and that a sustainable ceasefire on all fronts is the only possible solution to prevent further human losses and avoid further deterioration of the situation on the ground," said a statement issued by Mikati's office.
        The statement added that the prime minister conducted a series of diplomatic and political contacts to follow up on the current emergency and the repeated Israeli threats against Lebanon.
        A state of anxiety and tension prevailed in the border area in southern Lebanon in light of the repeated Israeli threats to launch a military operation that will make Hezbollah "pay a heavy price" after a missile fell a day earlier in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 people and wounding several others.
        Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas's attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.