Aoun Slams Israel Violations of 1701, Says Optimistic on Political Crisis

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday stressed that Lebanon is committed to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 between Israel and Hizbullah, as he slammed Israel's “incessant violations.”

“Israel is continuing its incessant violations of UNSCR 1701, which Lebanon has committed to while Israel is still insisting on breaching it, disregarding the repeated international calls for honoring it,” Aoun told his visitors.

Separately, the president hoped the coming week “will bring further positivity regarding the needed solutions for the political developments arising from Prime Minister Saad Hariri's announcement of his resignation and its consequent suspension at the request of the president.”

Hariri said Monday that he will resign if Hizbullah refuses to accept a new power-sharing arrangement for Lebanon, speaking as consultations got underway in Beirut between political leaders over the government's future.

The premier said Hizbullah appeared receptive to dialogue, but said he would resign if the group and Iran did not agree to rebalance Lebanon's political configuration. He did not elaborate on the new arrangement he was proposing.

Hariri announced he was resigning Nov. 4, but walked it back after returning home last week.

The original announcement, made from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, was widely seen as orchestrated by Saudi Arabia to pressure Lebanon's politicians into taking stronger measures to contain Hizbullah's influence. Hariri said Monday he wanted to send a "positive shock" across Lebanon through his resignation, and denied that Saudi officials forced him to resign.

Hariri has demanded that Hizbullah remove itself from regional conflicts, from Syria to Iraq and Yemen. Hizbullah denies playing a military role in Yemen but has fighters in both Iraq and Syria.