Israeli response indicates rejection of cease-fire proposals: Lebanese premier

By Wassim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday that Israeli statements and diplomatic indicators received by Beirut confirm Tel Aviv's stubbornness and refusal to accept proposed solutions, insisting instead on a path of violence and destruction.

Mikati made his comments during a meeting with the head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Gen. Arnaldo Lazaro, held in Beirut.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's office, Mikati emphasized that “the recent escalation by Israel is a clear indication of its rejection of all efforts aimed at achieving a cease-fire and fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”

The meeting took place amid US suggestions of a potentially positive atmosphere leading to an agreement to end hostilities in Lebanon.

However, Mikati noted that similar diplomatic efforts regarding the situation in Gaza have not yielded results, while “Israeli atrocities have intensified on both fronts.”

Israel launched a massive air campaign last month in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in an escalation in a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and the group since the start of Israel’s brutal offensive on Gaza.

Nearly 2,900 people have been killed and more than 13,000 injured in Israeli attacks since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel expanded the conflict by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi