•Smoke as Israel bombards Lebanese village of Maroun El Ras today
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati today called for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut.
“The key to the solution is to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to revive the appeal launched by the United States and France… in favour of a ceasefire,” Mikati said, according to a statement from his office.
Barrot arrived in Beirut yesterday, the first foreign diplomat to visit Lebanon since Israel escalated its strikes against Hezbollah strongholds.
Mikati added that the “priority is applying resolution 1701” of the United Nations Security Council, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The French envoy’s visit came as a deadly strike hit a building in the centre of the Lebanese capital.
Israeli strikes have been largely concentrated on Hezbollah’s strongholds in the south and east of the country, and in south Beirut.
