Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on Israel on Tuesday to halt its violations of a cease-fire deal and withdraw from the Lebanese territory.
"We sent a clear message to the international sponsors of the cease-fire understanding (the US and France)," Mikati said during the opening of a pavilion at the National Museum in Beirut.
The message includes "the necessity of halting the (Israeli) violations and the complete withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories," Mikati said.
"It also stresses that commitment to implementing UN Resolution 1701 is not only Lebanon's responsibility, but it is also binding to the Israeli enemy," he added.
UN Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, calls for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line (the Lebanon-Israel border) and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, restricted to Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces.
Mikati warned that Israeli violations of the cease-fire "threaten to undermine the agreement, which I believe no one wants to see its collapse."
Lebanese authorities have reported at least 395 Israeli violations, including the death of 32 people and injury of 39 others, since the deal came into force on Nov. 27.
The cease-fire agreement aimed to end over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah group since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The prime minister called on the Lebanese to maintain unity.
"We must join hands to extinguish all signs of divisive strife and maintain our shared existence under one roof," he stressed.
Under the cease-fire terms, Israel is required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line-a de facto border-in phases, while the Lebanese army is to deploy in southern Lebanon within 60 days.
Data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel's onslaught against Lebanon began on Oct. 8, 2023, at least 4,063 people have been killed, including women, children, and health workers, while 16,664 others have been injured.
For decades, Israel has occupied territories in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, resisting international calls to withdraw and opposing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on pre-1967 borders.
