Lebanese PM accuses Israel of rejecting ceasefire efforts

Beirut, Nov 1 (IANS) Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday accused Israel of rejecting efforts to reach a ceasefire as Israeli forces resumed bombing Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas in Lebanon at dawn on Friday.

Israel's "renewed expansion of the scope of its aggression" and "its repeated threats to the population to evacuate entire cities and villages" are "all indicators of Israel's rejection of all efforts" in reaching a ceasefire, Mikati said during his meeting with Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, chief of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

In a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister reaffirmed "Lebanon's permanent commitment to UN Resolution 1701," calling on the international community to assume its responsibility to stop this "aggression."

According to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA), a series of violent raids targetted different areas in Beirut's southern suburbs at dawn on Friday, causing massive destruction in the targetted areas, with dozens of buildings levelled to the ground and fires breaking out.

The Israeli forces also resumed intense airstrikes on the eastern city of Baalbek at noon on Friday, according to the Elnashra news website.

On Wednesday, Israel's state-owned Kan TV revealed a document claimed to be a draft agreement between Israel and Lebanon, proposed by the United States, to end the current Israeli-Hezbollah clashes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Quoting senior Israeli officials, the channel reported that the war cabinet is satisfied with the draft formulated by US envoy Amos Hochstein and submitted to Israel, and its chances of being accepted are high.

Since September 23, the Israeli army has launched an unprecedented, intensive air campaign on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported on Thursday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the war on October 8, 2023, has reached 2,867, with injuries climbing to 13,047.

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