Despite differences, there is determination for ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel — Hagop Havatian

Israel continues to violate the ceasefire under various pretexts, Hagop Havatian, a representative of the Armenian community of Lebanon, told Alpha News.

“It has been a week since Lebanon and Israel signed a ceasefire deal, but during this time Israel has repeatedly violated it. We, of course, understand that a complete ceasefire could not be achieved since Israeli soldiers were still deployed in some border villages. They must return to their territory within 60 days. But the clashes continue because residents return to their villages ahead of time, and as a result of these violations, there were a large number of casualties after the ceasefire. Both sides say that all points of the ceasefire must be observed and there should be no violations. But statements and actions contradict each other, and Israel continues to violate the ceasefire under various pretexts.

The Lebanese government is going to convene a meeting for the citizens of the south so that they can see and understand that their fate is not up in the air, and they are not alone, and Lebanon will do everything possible to ensure that the ceasefire points are observed,” Havatian noted.

According to him, there is a determination between the parties regarding the ceasefire.

“The international community is closely monitoring the ceasefire and stabilization of the situation. True, this is not the first time that Israel has targeted state structures or infrastructure in Lebanon, since war for Israel is war in all its aspects. However, the international community and the mediation mission assure that this is the first time that there is such determination between the parties regarding the ceasefire. During wars, when a ceasefire is proposed, the military situation usually escalates. This is part of Israel’s political behavior—when, in order to negotiate and achieve success, it applies greater pressure so that many points in the agreement are in its favor and thus confirm its success,” Havatian concluded.