Salam addressed the public on the eve of the anniversary of the start to the country’s 1975-1990 civil war [Getty]
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Sunday that he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over.
The health ministry said at least six people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south on Sunday, including a Red Cross paramedic.
The Lebanese Red Cross said in a statement that its personnel were “directly targeted by an Israeli drone” while carrying out a humanitarian mission, noting “the ambulances and their crews bore the protective Red Cross emblem”.
And the United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL said an Israeli tank rammed its vehicles on two occasions, “in one case causing significant damage”.
Israel says the fragile temporary ceasefire in the wider Middle East war does not apply to its battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon, contradicting claims by mediators in Pakistan. Israel has kept up its attacks on Lebanon, despite truce talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad.
“We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands,” Salam said in a televised address on the eve of the anniversary of the start to the country’s 1975-1990 civil war.
“We are continuing our efforts… to negotiate to stop the war,” he added, ahead of planned talks on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanese, Israeli and US officials.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel has responded with massive strikes and a ground invasion.
‘Accountability’
Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces had eliminated the threat of an invasion by Hezbollah fighters during a visit to troops in southern Lebanon, but added: “There is still more to do, and we are doing it.”
“The war continues, including within the security zone in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.
Israeli officials have repeatedly said that Israel wants to establish a “security zone” in south Lebanon to help prevent Hezbollah attacks.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli attacks on dozens of locations in the south on Sunday, with additional strikes on the adjacent West Bekaa area.
The health ministry raised the war’s overall toll to 2,055 dead, including 165 children and more than 80 health workers.
The Lebanese Red Cross condemned attacks on its personnel as “clear and blatant violations of all provisions of international law”.
Before Sunday’s deadly mission which also wounded another paramedic, “the necessary contacts were made with UNIFIL for protection and safe passage,” it said.
Lebanon’s health ministry also said an Israeli strike on Qana killed five people, including three women, and wounded 25 others.
An AFP photographer in the southern town saw significant destruction as an excavator worked to clear debris and first responders carried a body out from under the rubble.
‘Moral obligation’
In south Lebanon’s Bazuriyeh, Hassan Berro, a rescue worker from the Risala Scout association said: “Our emergency centre was hit and completely destroyed, along with all its contents, including beds and medical equipment.”
The AFP photographer saw windows shattered and debris covering several hospital beds in the building, where walls and ceilings were also damaged.
On Sunday, the Israeli army also accused Hezbollah of using a hospital compound in south Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil “for military purposes”.
Hezbollah said it launched attacks on Israeli targets across the border and inside Lebanon, including against troops in Bint Jbeil, where the NNA reported heavy fighting.
Pope Leo XIV, who visited Lebanon late last year, expressed his closeness to the Lebanese people on Sunday and said there was a “moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war”.