Lebanon PM rejects any normalisation of ties with Israel

The Lebanese people reject any normalisation of relations with Israel, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday, Anadolu has reported. “No one in Lebanon wants to normalise ties with Israel,” Salam told a press delegation in Beirut.

Local media reports have emerged about US pressure on Lebanon to reach “an agreement that is less than normalisation and more than an armistice” with Israel.

Salam added that international and Arab pressure on Israel to stop its assaults in southern Lebanon has not yet been exhausted. “There are still means for political and diplomatic pressure,” he said, without providing further details.

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The Lebanese premier also pointed out that the five border outposts occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon have no military or security value. “Israel,” said Salam, “holds them to keep pressure on Lebanon.”

A fragile ceasefire had been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported over 1,250 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the killing of 100 people and wounding of at least 330 others.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to withdraw fully from southern Lebanon by 26 January, but the deadline was extended to 18 February after it refused to comply. The occupation state still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.

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