BEIRUT, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday urged an immediate halt to the ongoing Israeli aggression, saying that stopping hostilities is essential for launching negotiations.
"An end to the escalation is necessary to create a suitable atmosphere for negotiations, which is currently unavailable due to the expansion of military operations," Aoun said during a meeting at Baabda Palace with visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
He pointed to the worsening situation, citing expanding military operations, destroyed villages, hundreds of casualties, and over a million displaced.
The Lebanese president reiterated the need for a ceasefire and guarantees to ensure its success.
For his part, Barrot conveyed greetings from French President Emmanuel Macron and expressed France's readiness to help end the military escalation through proposals being discussed with relevant parties.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah issued a statement firmly denying accusations made by Kuwait's Interior Ministry, rejecting "false and baseless claims" about the existence of any cells, networks, or alleged plans linked to the group in Kuwait.
"Hezbollah once again denies these allegations in their entirety," the statement said, adding that the group "reaffirms its strong commitment to the security, stability, and safety of the State of Kuwait and its brotherly people."
The denial follows Kuwait's announcement earlier this week of detaining 14 people, both Kuwaiti and Lebanese, suspected of being a Hezbollah-linked cell for undermining state security.
Hezbollah had announced the launch of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel on March 2 for the first time since a ceasefire was declared on Nov. 27, 2024. Israel subsequently launched a military campaign against the group, involving intensive airstrikes on several areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, in addition to Beirut's southern suburbs. ■
