Lebanese President: We Continue Negotiations with Israel Despite Attacks

(Patria) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated yesterday that he intends to continue negotiations with the Israeli government despite the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah movement.

- Negotiations are safer than war - Aoun told a committee of representatives of the Lebanese private sector, acknowledging that the negotiations will not yield results immediately.

Aoun accused Israel of not respecting the ceasefire agreement from April. According to that agreement, Israel was supposed to withdraw from five positions in southern Lebanon that it still holds, reports the dpa agency.

The Lebanese president, a Christian and former army chief, claims that Israel, under the pretext of self-defense, has continued military operations and shelling of cities.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives are scheduled to meet today in Washington for direct negotiations on ending the conflict.

Hezbollah, a militant movement with a paramilitary force that rivals the Lebanese regular army, is not a party to the negotiations.

Aoun's statements came after eight people were killed and 19 wounded in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon overnight.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced new attacks on Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday morning, triggering a mass evacuation from that part of the capital.

Those suburbs are considered a stronghold of the militant movement, but are also densely populated.

Since the ceasefire began in mid-April, the Israeli army has rarely carried out attacks there. According to Israeli media reports, the reason for this was demands from the U.S. government.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has intensified its attacks on northern Israel. Air raid sirens sounded several times there yesterday.

The Israeli army reported another soldier killed in southern Lebanon. According to Israeli media reports, he was killed overnight in a Hezbollah drone attack.