The outgoing Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, stressed to his visitors on Tuesday that “diplomatic contacts have intensified since Monday to put an end to Israeli violations of the ceasefire” and pleaded for a stabilization of the situation on the southern border.
Mr. Mikati said he insisted, during these contacts, on the need for “a return to normal, at the border, so that the displaced can return to their villages and the army is deployed in South Lebanon”.
He indicated that the announcement made Tuesday by the army to recruit soldiers is a continuation of the government’s decision to strengthen the presence of regular forces south of the Litani, as part of the implementation implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
Netanyahu: The war with Lebanon is not over
At the same time, Tel Aviv threatened to resume the war against Lebanon, after the resumption of deadly raids on Monday evening, following Hezbollah fire on an Israeli military position in the Chebaa hamlets sector. This shot was a response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire, the pro-Iranian group indicated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that his country is “in a state of truce and not the end of the war with Lebanon”. He said he would “manage the ceasefire with an iron fist”, by “reacting against any violation, whether minor or major”.
His Defense Minister, Israel Katz, went further by assuring that the Lebanese state will be held responsible for any violation of the truce.
“If the war resumes, we will act with force, we will go further, and the most important thing that ‘they’ need to know is that the Lebanese state will not be spared,” he warned.
“If, until now, we have established a distinction between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah, this will no longer be the case,” he added during a tour of northern Israel.
Mr. Katz considered the Hezbollah attack on Monday as “a first test”.
The Lebanese government must “allow the Lebanese army to assume its functions, to remove Hezbollah from the border area to the north of the Litani and to dismantle its infrastructure¸ If it does not do so and the agreement collapses , it will be a different story,” he threatened.
