BRUSSELS: The European Union on Saturday condemned Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and asked it to respect a ceasefire with the group Hezbollah. Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed three people and wounded several more on Saturday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, with Israel announcing one of the attacks had hit arms smugglers from a group affiliated with Hezbollah.
"The EU calls on Israel to cease all actions that violate resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement reached a year ago in November 2024," the EU's foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni stated. "At the same time, we urge all Lebanese actors and especially Hezbollah to refrain from any measures or responses that could further inflame the situation," he added. "Focus by all parties must be on preserving the ceasefire and the progress achieved so far."
The Lebanese army has accused Israel of seeking to "undermine Lebanon's stability" with Thursday's strikes and to "prevent the completion of the army's deployment" in line with the ceasefire. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned the Israeli strikes, as has Iran, which on Friday called them "savage" attacks and appealed for the international community to intervene. — AFP
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