Lebanon renews ceasefire call, complains to UNSC over Israel's attacks, Hezbollah rockets hit Israel airport

Lebanon on Wednesday renewed its call for a ceasefire and submitted a new complaint to the UN Security Council regarding Israel's attacks on the country. The ongoing and escalating Israeli attacks against Lebanon have turned into "crimes" against humanity and civilisation and a violation of all international charters and laws, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said at a cabinet meeting, according to a statement released by the Lebanese council of ministers.

"Our position and decision are to preserve Lebanon's dignity and to ensure respect for national sovereignty by air, sea, land, and international resolutions; we will not tolerate any breach or attack," he said. Mikati emphasised the need to stop the war, fully implement UN Resolution 1701, and elect a new president so that the country could start with the reconstruction process, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese ministry of foreign affairs and emigrants submitted a new complaint to the UN Security Council regarding Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

A statement released by the ministry said in the new complaint, Lebanon condemned Israel's continued aggression against it, the violation of its sovereignty, the ground incursion into its territory, the committing of more "massacres", and the continuous and systematic destruction of border villages.

It said Israel blew up villages with 400 tons of explosives, warning that this "systematic destruction" indicates the Israeli army's efforts to transform the border strip into an uninhabited buffer zone.

Lebanon also condemned Israel's ongoing attacks on densely populated residential buildings, places of worship, and religious shrines, as well as the cities of Tyre and Baalbek, which contain archaeological sites. It also criticised Israel's continued targeting of the Lebanese army, ambulances, and civil defense centers and personnel, along with its use of internationally prohibited white phosphorus bombs.

Lebanon called on the UNSC to condemn Israel's hostile actions, take firm measures to stop them, hold it fully responsible for the heavy losses in lives and property, demand its immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories, and implement UN Resolution 1701 fully and comprehensively to ensure the security and stability of the region.

Meanwhile, about 10 rockets were launched Wednesday by Hezbollah from Lebanon on central and northern Israel, with one rocket striking Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said. Residents reported hearing explosions in the Tel Aviv area.

Sirens warning of rocket attacks sounded in roughly 150 cities and communities across central Israel, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and northern Israel, including in Tel Aviv, Israel's financial hub, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israeli police confirmed that a rocket hit Ben Gurion Airport. A photo circulating on social media showed damage to an empty parking lot at the airport area. In Ra'anana, a suburb of Tel Aviv, another rocket struck an empty car in a parking lot. Hezbollah said in a statement that the attack targeted the Tserfin base near the airport.

"In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and support of their brave and honorable resistance, and defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted ... the Tserfin base which contains military training colleges near Ben Gurion Airport, south of Tel Aviv, with a salvo of qualitative missiles," said the statement. Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said there were no immediate reports of injuries. --IANS as/