TEL AVIV – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri urged the UN Friday to help Lebanon reach a permanent ceasefire with Israel to end the Jewish state’s “continuous violations.”
“I urge the UN secretary-general to support efforts to secure, as soon as possible, a state of permanent ceasefire. This is long overdue and my government is committed to move this agenda forward,” Reuters quoted Hariri as saying.
Hariri made his remarks during a visit to south Lebanon, a day after Hezbollah organized a media tour for journalists along the Lebanon-Israel border.
The Lebanese leader slammed the tour organized by Hezbollah, saying “the Lebanese armed forces … are the only legitimate force in charge of defending our borders.”
During the tour, members of the terror group paraded their arms despite UN resolution 1701, passed at the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, which prohibits weapons so close to the demarcation line.
Hariri distanced himself from Hezbollah’s violations, saying, “What happened yesterday is something that we, as a government, are not (involved) with and do not accept.”
However, he added, “there are political differences (with Hezbollah) that we put aside, and this is one of them.”
“I came here to emphasize that our role as a government is to preserve Resolution 1701,” Hariri said.
Hezbollah’s tour depicted Israel as changing tactics from offensive to defensive. According to the Shiite group, Israel is not interested in engaging in another round of conflict with Hezbollah, which, on the other hand, is fully prepared for war despite its involvement in Syria.
Hariri is the son of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, whose 2005 assassination was blamed on Hezbollah.