BEIRUT, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Sunday that Lebanon is making efforts to halt the ongoing war and stressed the need to safeguard national unity and rebuild the state, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Salam made the remarks while commemorating the anniversary of the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War on April 13, 1975.
The objective is not only to prevent a return to civil war, but also to build a just, strong, and unified state for all, he said.
He highlighted the importance of fully implementing the Taif Agreement, calling for rectifying any misapplications that violate its letter and spirit.
The Taif Agreement, negotiated in Saudi Arabia in 1989 and approved later that year, ended a 15-year-long civil war in Lebanon and reasserted the Lebanese government's authority in the south.
Hezbollah entered the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict on March 2 by launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov. 27, 2024, prompting Israel to carry out an intensified military campaign targeting multiple areas across the country.
Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday. Israel said it would abide by the truce but argued the agreement does not apply to Lebanon. That assertion was rejected by Iran and by mediator Pakistan.
The Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed 2,055 and wounded 6,588, according to a statement by Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operation Center on Sunday.■
