JAKARTA - President Joseph Aoun said on Monday he would do the "impossible" to stop the Lebanon-Israel war, after a ceasefire and direct talks between the two countries failed to end the fighting.
Aoun's comments came as Israeli troops carried out a series of raids in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah said it had attacked military targets in northern Israel.
Since the start of the ceasefire on April 17, Israel has continued to launch attacks, carry out destruction, and issue evacuation orders in southern Lebanon, saying they are targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah armed group.
Hezbollah also maintains its operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
"The framework that Lebanon has set for negotiations consists of Israel's withdrawal, a ceasefire, the deployment of troops along the border, the return of refugees, and economic assistance," President Aoun said in a statement on Monday, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (18/5).
"My task, based on my position and responsibilities, is to do the impossible, and choose what is the cheapest, to stop the war against Lebanon and its people," he added.
Last week the ceasefire was extended for 45 days after the third round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington, a discussion opposed by Hezbollah.
But the ceasefire failed to stop the violence, with Hezbollah on Monday saying it had fired a drone at a military target in northern Israel.
"The target was the Iron Dome platform of the Israeli enemy army" based in a military camp in northern Israel, Hezbollah said, referring to Israel's air defense system.
The attack was a response to an "infringement" of the ceasefire by Israel, he added.
The government-run Lebanese National News Agency reported a series of Israeli attacks across the southern region.
The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings for three cities in southern Lebanon.
The attacks came a day after Israeli strikes killed seven people in Lebanon, including a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in the country's northeast, far from the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Israeli army has invaded and occupied most of southern Lebanon, operating within the "yellow line" declared by Israel that stretches about 10 kilometers (six miles) north of the border. They have carried out massive destruction in the area.
The Israeli attacks have killed more than 2,900 people in Lebanon since the start of the war, including more than 400 since a ceasefire took effect on April 17, according to Lebanese authorities.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
