BEIRUT, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah said it fired rockets toward the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on Tuesday, in response to Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement and continued attacks on villages in southern Lebanon.
The group said in a statement that the strikes were carried out at 18:15 local time (1530 GMT), targeting 13 Israeli settlements. The attacks come amid the first ongoing talks in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli governments.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday he hopes the ongoing talks in Washington will mark the beginning of an end to the suffering of the Lebanese people, particularly in the south, as the death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks rose to 2,124, with 6,921 injured since March 2, when Hezbollah started firing rockets toward Israel in support of Iran.
Speaking during a meeting with visiting Chief of the Italian Defense Staff Luciano Portolano, Aoun also noted stability will not return to southern Lebanon as long as the Israeli army maintains a presence on Lebanese territory.
Aoun added that the only viable solution lies in the full deployment of the Lebanese army up to internationally recognized borders, making it the sole authority responsible for security in the south.
The Lebanese government has been seeking to extend state authority over all its territory, including efforts to address the issue of arms held by non-state actors such as Hezbollah. However, progress has remained slow and complex, amid continued Israeli strikes and internal political sensitivities. ■
