Lebanese president condemns Israeli attacks, warns they threaten peace talks

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has strongly denounced persistent Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatiyé region. He highlighted the "tragic death of an entire family in the village of Ansar" as a grave violation of international law and existing agreements.

In a message posted on X, the Lebanese presidency stated that these repeated violations "are a clear message against the negotiation process and American efforts to implement the agreement." Direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, mediated by the United States, began in April, with an framework agreement for a phased Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army signed in June.

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these violations are a clear message against the negotiation process and American efforts to implement the agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, however, suggested that new, more ambitious negotiations are desired. A spokesperson stated that Israeli strikes against Hezbollah "should give new impetus to the negotiations and make them much more serious, not produce the opposite effect." Netanyahu asserted that Hezbollah violated a ceasefire by attacking Israeli soldiers, critically wounding three.

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should give new impetus to the negotiations and make them much more serious, not produce the opposite effect.

The Israeli army announced it targeted a "key Hezbollah command center" in the Ansar region, claiming to have "eliminated" Ali Samir Hajj Hassan, a commander in Hezbollah's elite al-Radwane force. The army's spokesperson accused Hassan of using his family as "human shields" within the military center, asserting they were not targets of the attack while the combatant was a legitimate target under international law. Israeli forces also reportedly dynamited homes in the villages of Taybé, Deir Seriane, and Kfar Tebnit.

Hezbollah, in a statement denouncing the Israeli strikes, launched a strong criticism of the ongoing Lebanese-Israeli negotiations. The party urged Lebanese authorities to abandon what it called "humiliating direct negotiations" and to stop offering "free gifts to the enemy" despite its alleged crimes and attacks.

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The Lebanese authorities must renounce the humiliating direct negotiations, and stop offering free gifts to the enemy, disregarding all its crimes and attacks.