BEIRUT, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri slammed Israel on Monday for seeking to dismantle a ceasefire committee tasked with monitoring the halt in hostilities between the two countries, warning that such actions aim to perpetuate aggression.
"Our position is well known ... we remain committed to the ceasefire committee in both its form and substance," Berri told Al-Joumhouria, a local newspaper.
Berri said the ceasefire committee serves Lebanon's interests by overseeing implementation, monitoring violations, and preventing attacks. However, he stressed that Israel has, from the outset, sought to undermine and dismantle the committee.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes intensified across several regions of southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA). At around 3 a.m., Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting the Aqmata-Louaizeh highlands in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region.
Later in the morning, Israeli forces opened fire with bursts of machine-gun rounds from their position in al-Bayyad, targeting the outskirts of the village of Blida.
On Sunday evening, Israeli warplanes launched 14 airstrikes in three waves, 10 of which targeted the highlands of Meidoun and al-Jabbour, while two struck the Wadi Barghaz area and two hit the area between the Rihan and Louaizeh highlands, NNA reported.
Separately, Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had filed a formal complaint with the UN Security Council and the UN secretary-general over Israel's continued violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
The complaint documented more than 2,000 Israeli violations of Lebanese territory over recent months and accused Israel of breaching UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire declaration. The ministry called on the security council to pressure Israel to fully implement Resolution 1701, withdraw from five remaining occupied points in southern Lebanon, halt attacks, release Lebanese detainees, and stop targeting UN peacekeepers.
A ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024. Despite the agreement, Israeli forces have continued to carry out intermittent strikes in Lebanon, citing security concerns, while maintaining positions at five key points along the Lebanese border. ■
