Lebanon accuses Israel of interrupting ceasefire efforts after attacking a military outpost

BEIRUT

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel on Sunday of rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire with Lebanon after the attack that killed one soldier and wounded 18 others.

The army said the military casualties occurred after Israeli warplanes struck a military post in the town of Al-Amiriya on Sunday morning.

The Israeli attack “constitutes a direct bloody signal rejecting all ongoing efforts and contacts aimed at achieving a ceasefire, strengthening the army’s presence in the south and implementing UN Resolution 1701,” Mikati said in a statement.

“To this direct aggression must be added a series of repeated attacks on the army and the Lebanese civilian population,” he added.

The United States, Israel’s main ally, is mediating between Israel and Lebanon to reach a ceasefire agreement that will end more than a year of attacks between Hezbollah and Israel.

“Since Israel turned against the US-France call for a ceasefire in September, Israel is now writing its refusal to accept any possible solution using Lebanese blood,” Mikati said.

Israel has stepped up airstrikes in Lebanon against what it considers Hezbollah targets, an escalation in year-long hostilities with the Lebanese group since the Gaza war began last year.

According to Lebanese health authorities, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 3,600 people, injured more than 15,300 and displaced more than 1 million since last October.

Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground attack on southern Lebanon on October 1.

*The text was written by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara

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