JERUSALEM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel will provide an opportunity to advance an integrated diplomatic and military solution with the Lebanese government.
"For the first time in 43 years, Israeli representatives are talking directly with Lebanese ones. The road to peace is still long, but we have started it. One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand reaches out for peace," Netanyahu said in a statement.
He said Israel has, for the first time, created a deep security zone in southern Lebanon, along Israel's entire northern border, where Israeli forces remain, "completely removing the imminent threat of invasion and anti-tank fire."
He said Israel has also removed the danger of Hezbollah firing 150,000 missiles and rockets, "which were intended to destroy Israeli cities."
However, "Israel has not yet finished the job," he said, adding, "There are things we plan to do against the remaining rockets and drones' threat, and I will not go into detail."
He said Israel has another goal of dismantling Hezbollah, which "requires sustained effort, patience, and intelligent navigation in the political arena."
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday local time (2100 GMT), following an earlier announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump. The truce aims to end more than a month of deadly escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which has claimed over 2,000 lives.
Despite the ceasefire, Lebanon's Al-Manar TV reported that Israel launched a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing one person. ■
