Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun appealed for direct negotiations with Israel Sunday, seeking to prevent southern Lebanon from suffering a similar fate to the Gaza Strip.
Lebanese President Calls for Negotiations
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated his appeal to Israel for direct negotiations on Sunday, aiming to prevent the transformation of southern Lebanon – where Israeli forces are conducting ground operations and destroying infrastructure – into a new, devastated Gaza Strip.
“It is true that Israel wants to do to southern Lebanon what it did in the Gaza Strip,” Aoun stated in a live broadcast, adding that Gaza was destroyed, over 70,000 people were killed, and negotiations still followed.
“Why not negotiate to stop this tragedy (…) and save what remains of the homes that have not yet been destroyed?” he questioned.
Israeli Strikes and Evacuations
On Sunday, the Israeli army announced the resumption of bombing “Hezbollah infrastructure,” the Shiite militant group, in southern Beirut, a predominantly Shiite area.
Earlier, seven people, including six from the same family, were killed in an Israeli strike on the village of Kfar Hatta, located over 40 km from the Israeli border in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese news agency Ani.
The Israeli army had previously ordered residents of Kfar Hatta to evacuate due to planned airstrikes. The family, previously displaced from another village, was awaiting a relative to transport them as they lacked a vehicle, according to the Lebanese civil defense.
Escalation of Conflict and Potential Occupation
Israel is also conducting a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, an area formerly controlled by Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Shiite organization. Hezbollah joined the war between the US and Israel with Iran over a month ago, siding with Tehran.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a potential Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers from the border. Israeli military commanders also indicated that 600,000 Lebanese who have fled the area would not be allowed to return home.
Buffer Zone and Displacement
The military is working to establish a buffer zone along the border to prevent Hezbollah from shelling northern Israel, which includes demolishing almost all buildings within a roughly 4 km wide strip of land.
Casualties and Displacement Figures
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 1,345 people have been killed in Lebanon since the country became involved in the conflict on March 2nd. The UN reports that over 1.2 million of Lebanon’s 6 million residents have been displaced.