Salam: Israeli escalation unprecedented, negotiations "less costly"

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a press conference today: "The Israeli escalation in recent days is dangerous and unprecedented." He continued, "Israel must understand that with its scorched-earth policy, collective punishment, and the bulldozing of villages and towns, it will gain neither security nor stability. Instead, it is deepening the divide with the Lebanese people and leaving deep wounds in their collective memory."

He added that "what Israel is doing is not only a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also an attempt to uproot the memory of the place and erase the history of the people."

He also stated that Israel is "practicing mass displacement that amounts to collective punishment," and that it "no longer targets only specific locations or areas, but has adopted a policy of comprehensive destruction of cities, towns, and all aspects of life within them."

He explained that "negotiations are not guaranteed to succeed, but they are the least costly path for our homeland and our people compared to other options."

He further noted that "negotiations are not a surrender, because the first item on the agenda is a ceasefire. The goal we are working to achieve through negotiations, which is absolutely non-negotiable, is a complete withdrawal and the release of prisoners, allowing for reconstruction and the return of people to their land."

ANHA