Lebanese foreign minister calls for Israel to halt attacks, withdraw from occupied hilltops

By Naim Berjawi

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi called Monday on Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon and withdraw its forces from the hilltops it still occupies.

The call was made during Raggi’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the two diplomats discussed ways to strengthen and develop bilateral relations in the economic, educational and cultural fields.

Raggi underlined the need “to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon and for its forces to withdraw from the hilltops they continue to occupy.”

He emphasized “the necessity for the Lebanese government to ensure that weapons are confined to the hands of its legitimate military institutions.”

The Lebanese minister also called on Hezbollah to hand over its weapons, saying this should take place “now as there is a state capable of fully assuming its sovereign responsibilities and extending its authority over all Lebanese territory.”

Lyubinsky, for his part, affirmed Russia’s “full support” for Lebanon’s sovereignty, stability and prosperity, the statement said.

Since a ceasefire with the Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect in late November 2024, Israel has committed near-daily violations in Lebanon that have killed hundreds of people.

Israel began its offensive against Lebanon in October 2023 and escalated it into a full-scale war in September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and wounding about 17,000.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.