Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a meeting with a UNSC delegation (Credit: AFP)
Lebanon urges UN Security Council to pressure 'Israel' to respect ceasefire
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- Lebanese President Aoun urges UN Security Council to pressure 'Israel' to respect ceasefire.
- Lebanon seeks support for army efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
- UN delegation to inspect southern Lebanon and assess border security.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has urged a delegation from the United Nations Security Council to press 'Israel' to respect the year-old ceasefire and to back the Lebanese army’s ongoing efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the presidency announced on Friday.
Despite a ceasefire signed in November 2024, which aimed to end over a year of conflict between 'Israel' and Hezbollah, 'Israel' has continued air and ground strikes in southern Lebanon. 'Israeli' forces also maintain positions in five areas the country considers strategic.
President Aoun "stressed the need to pressure the Israeli side to implement the ceasefire and withdraw, and expressed his hope for pressure from the delegation," the official statement said. He also highlighted "Lebanon's commitment to implementing international resolutions" and requested support for the Lebanese army’s plan to disarm non-governmental armed groups.
The Lebanese government ordered the full disarmament of Hezbollah in August, with the army aiming to complete the first phase by year’s end. Hezbollah has yet to comply but has refrained from retaliating against 'Israeli' strikes, though it has warned of a potential response to the killing of its military chief in Beirut last month.
The UN delegation, after visiting Damascus on Thursday, is scheduled to inspect the southern Lebanon border area on Saturday, accompanied by US envoy Morgan Ortagus. The visit coincides with the first direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives in decades.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said President Aoun described the initial negotiations as "positive" and emphasized "the need for the language of negotiation, not the language of war, to prevail."
Meanwhile, 'Israeli' strikes on Thursday targeted four southern Lebanese towns, reportedly aiming at Hezbollah weapons depots to prevent rearmament. UN peacekeepers criticized the strikes as "clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701," which ended the 2006 war between 'Israel' and Hezbollah.
The peacekeepers also reported being fired upon by six men on three mopeds near Bint Jbeil, though no injuries were reported.
"Attacks on peacekeepers are unacceptable and serious violations of resolution 1701," the international force stated.
