Lebanese PM Mikati Advocates for Peace Talks With Israel Amid Border Tensions
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Monday his commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the ongoing confrontations with the Israeli army along the southern border. In a local media interview, Mikati emphasized Lebanon’s desire for permanent stability and its willingness to engage in negotiations for a lasting peace in the region.
Mikati stated Lebanon’s readiness to comply with United Nations Resolution 1701, established in 2006, which calls for an end to hostilities between Hizbullah and the Israeli army and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. However, he conditioned this compliance on “necessary guarantees that Israeli aggressions will not continue.”
The announcement came amid reports of Israeli artillery fire targeting several southern Lebanese villages, including Tayr Harfa, Houla, and Yarine. Concurrently, Hizbullah claimed responsibility for attacks on multiple Israeli sites, including Ruwaisat Al-Alam in the Shebaa Farms area, the moshav Shtula in northern Israel, and Jal-Al-Alam.
Earlier in the day, Hizbullah announced the deaths of a high-ranking commander and another member in an Israeli drone strike in Khirbet Selm, a village in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanon-Israel border has experienced escalating tensions since October 8, 2023, following Hizbullah’s rocket attacks on Israel in support of the October 7 incursion and atrocities carried out by Hamas in southern Israel. According to Lebanese security sources, the recent clashes have resulted in 209 Lebanese casualties, including 154 Hizbullah members and 35 civilians.
