Salam urges 'maximum pressure' to stop Israel's attacks

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday slammed Israel’s disregard for the ceasefire mechanism, urging the international community to exert utmost pressure on Israel to halt its attacks, after Israeli strikes targeted three southern towns following evacuation warnings.

"Lebanon calls on the international community, and particularly the countries that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, to exert maximum pressure on Israel to immediately halt its attacks," Salam said amidst a cabinet meeting.

“I reiterate that the Lebanese government is engaged in the Mechanism meetings, but the legitimate question today is: where is Israel’s commitment to these mechanisms and how can it continue practicing intimidation and attacks whereas these (Mechanism) meetings are supposed to guarantee the full implementation of Resolution 1701,” Salam added.

France and the United States are the main guarantors behind a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Israel has kept up its strikes on southern Lebanon despite a truce signed in November that ended more than a year of hostilities and two months of open war with Hezbollah.

It has also maintained troops in five locations in the south of Lebanon it deems strategic.

Under U.S. pressure, the Lebanese government has ordered the Lebanese Army to draw up a plan to disarm the group in areas near the Israeli border by the end of the year.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told AFP last week that the Lebanese Army will fully disarm Hezbollah near the border within three months.