Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Saturday were a "clear message" on negotiations between the two countries, ahead of the next round of US-sponsored talks early next month in Rome.
Aoun condemned the "ongoing Israeli attacks" on the south and "repeated violations of the framework agreement... and international law on protecting civilians, which led to the death of an entire family in the village of Ansar,” according to a statement from his office, adding that "these violations are a clear message on the negotiation process.”
At least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency said.
Seven people were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a house in Ansar, while two others were killed in a strike on the village of Deir El Zahrani, the National News Agency said. Eleven people were injured in the attacks.
The strikes are among the deadliest in the weeks since Lebanon agreed to a US-mediated peace framework with Israel.
