Lebanese premier reiterates call for ceasefire

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday urged the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We asked the Foreign Ministry to submit a request to the Security Council calling on it to take a decision for a complete and immediate ceasefire with the implementation of Resolution 1701," the premier said after a cabinet meeting.

He added that "a diplomatic solution is on the table, and Hezbollah is a partner in the government and agrees to implement 1701."

The resolution prohibits the presence of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the border area with Israel.

The Israeli military must therefore withdraw behind the Blue Line - the Lebanese-Israeli border. The resolution gives sole authority to the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Forces in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops in Lebanon south of the Litani River.

He stressed that a ceasefire is necessary and the Lebanese army must prove its role in enhancing security on the southern border.

Mikati added that "what is happening is completely unacceptable."

"Lebanon is a victim of Israeli arrogance that is not deterred and violates our sovereignty before the eyes of the world, strengthened by the suspicious silence about its massacres," he said.

The caretaker premier also denounced the Israeli shelling of a base belonging to UNIFIL.

Two peacekeepers were again injured in Israeli shelling near an observation post at the headquarters of the UNIFIL in Naquora in south Lebanon, according to the Lebanese news agency NNA.