Lebanon says working to stop Israeli war, secure withdrawal

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday his government efforts are ongoing to end the Israeli war on Lebanon and secure Israel's withdrawal.

Addressing a press conference in Beirut, Salam said his government will continue "working to end this war, secure the Israeli withdrawal from all our territory, and secure the return of all our prisoners."

His comments were made on the eve of Lebanon’s civil war that erupted in 1975 and lasted 15 years, killing 150,000 people, injuring 300,000 others, and displacing more than one million.

Salam said his government continues efforts to rebuild villages and towns destroyed by the Israeli assaults, and enable the displaced people to return to their areas.

“The south will not be abandoned again to face fear, destruction, and anxiety about its future," the premier stressed. "Its protection, like the protection of all of Lebanon, can only be achieved through a single, strong, and just state."

The Israeli army has pounded Lebanon with deadly airstrikes since Hezbollah launched a cross-border attack on March 2, killing at least 2,055 people and injuring nearly 6,600 others amid escalating regional tensions in the wake of a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel would escalate operations in Lebanon and would not agree to negotiations unless Hezbollah is disarmed and a peace agreement “that endures for generations” is reached.

The escalation comes as Lebanon’s presidency said Friday that Beirut and Israel agreed to hold their first meeting in Washington on April 14, a move condemned by Hezbollah.