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Lebanon's caretaker prime minister: Israel shows persistence in peace talks

Bombings and rising tensions in the region complicate diplomatic efforts

Nov 1, 2024 17:37 98

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister: Israel shows persistence in peace talks  - 1

Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of "stubbornness" in the ceasefire talks, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his priority was to impose security, despite "all pressures and restrictions", Reuters reported, as quoted by BTA.

"Israeli statements and diplomatic signals received by Lebanon confirm Israel's persistence in rejecting proposed solutions and insistently sticking to the approach of killing and destruction," Mikati said.

The statement came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombarded Beirut's southern suburbs today amid US diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire ahead of the November 5 presidential election. Israel this morning launched at least 10 strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, the first bombing in the area in nearly a week. Before attacking the suburbs, Israel ordered evacuations in 10 different neighborhoods. The strikes began before the latest series of warnings were issued, Reuters said.

Israel yesterday also bombed the eastern Lebanese region of Baalbek, where there are Roman ruins included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. An organization that holds annual cultural festivals there said there were visible cracks in the ruins after Israeli strikes in the area.

Netanyahu yesterday told Israeli military personnel that "the main point is not in (signing) agreements, documents, proposals". "The key point is our ability and determination to impose security, repel attacks against us and act against the armament of our enemies as necessary and despite all pressures and constraints," the Israeli leader stressed.

At the same time, in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, a farmer and four Thai workers were killed yesterday in a rocket attack by "Hezbollah" against Metola, Israeli authorities said. Two more civilians were killed by shrapnel near the town of Kiryat Ata, further south, near the major port city of Haifa.

Medics in the Gaza Strip reported that in the last 24 hours, 60 people were killed and dozens injured in IDF strikes. The attacks were on the cities of Deir al-Balah and Az Zawayda, as well as on the Nuseirat refugee camp.

At least 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the entrance to a school in Nuseirat, where displaced people are sheltering. Another 10 people were killed in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, local media told Reuters.

The Israeli army said its servicemen were killed by "armed terrorists" in central Gaza and in the Jabalia area. So far, there is no comment from the Israeli side regarding the reports of the attack on the school in Nuseirat.