Lebanon PM urges de-escalation after Israel-Hezbollah strikes

Caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati urged de-escalation Sunday after Israel struck Lebanon and Hezbollah said it launched attacks on Israeli positions, in a major escalation of cross-border hostilities.

Mikati on Sunday told ministers at an emergency meeting that he had been holding "a series of contacts with Lebanon's friends to stop the escalation".

"What is required is to stop the Israeli aggression first of all, and to apply Resolution 1701," a statement from his office said.

Mikati also emphasized Lebanon's "support for international efforts that could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza", according to the statement.

Hezbollah has exchanged regular fire with Israel in support of its ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war.

Calls have mounted for the full implementation of the U.N. Resolution 1701 as a way of ending the current violence.

The resolution ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and called for the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed in south Lebanon.