Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday said his government’s negotiations with Israel were the “fastest and least costly path” for Lebanon, after the talks produced a new cease-fire initiative that was later rejected by Hezbollah.
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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris, France, April. Credit: Ludovic Marin/Reuters
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris, France, April.Credit: Ludovic Marin/Reuters
The Lebanese-Israeli negotiations led overnight to a U.S.-backed agreement aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, paving the way for the militant group’s disarmament.
In a statement released by his office, Salam said the negotiations represented the best option available for the people of Lebanon.
“We could have stood by in the face of a reality and a war that we did not choose, but that was never an option for a single moment,” he said, describing the talks as difficult and the Israeli position as “tough.”
Under the agreement announced in Washington on Wednesday, Hezbollah militants would be disarmed.
Salam said the principle of a state monopoly on arms had already been established after the country’s civil war ended in the early 1990s and that Lebanon should not miss another opportunity to enforce it.
As a next step, he announced the gradual deployment of the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon, warning that any delay would come at the expense of the region and its residents.
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Machinery operates as the Lebanese army opens a road, past buildings destroyed during the Israeli military campaign, in Dibbin, southern Lebanon, Thursday. Credit: Stringer/Reuters
Machinery operates as the Lebanese army opens a road, past buildings destroyed during the Israeli military campaign, in Dibbin, southern Lebanon, Thursday. Credit: Stringer/Reuters
The Lebanese army said it began removing earth barriers erected by the Israeli military on a central southern Lebanese roadway connecting Dibbin to Marjayoun. The move followed the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, according to the statement.
The army also said it is gradually deploying forces in the area in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the cease-fire monitoring mechanism.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 10 people were killed and 59 people were wounded in the 24 hours ending at 2:00 P.M. According to a ministry tally, 3,526 people were killed and 10,733 were wounded since the start of hostilities in Lebanon on March 2.
DPA contributed to this report.