Lebanon says diplomatic contacts underway to halt Israeli violations of cease-fire

By Yakoota Ahmad

ISTANBUL (AA) – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Tuesday that diplomatic contacts are underway to halt Israeli violations of their cease-fire deal and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from border towns.

"In these contacts, we have emphasized the priority of stabilizing the situation to enable the displaced people to return to their towns and villages, and expand the army redeployment to the south,” Mikati added in a statement.

Early Tuesday, the Lebanese Defense Ministry said that it was looking for recruits to join the army.

“This move is part of the Cabinet decision to boost the army redeployment in the south,” Mikati said.

On Tuesday, at least 10 people were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon despite a cease-fire deal between Tel Aviv and Beirut.

A cease-fire deal between Lebanon and Israel took effect last week in the hope of ending over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel is to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line de facto border in a phased manner while the Lebanese army deploys its forces in southern Lebanon within a maximum of 60 days.

Implementation of the agreement is to be overseen by the US and France, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.

Nearly 4,000 people have been killed and more than 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and over 1 million others have been displaced since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala