Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called on the international community to put an end to the “terrorist” attacks carried out by Israel against southern Lebanon.

Speaking at a conference on Wednesday, Mikati reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, denouncing Israeli attacks against southern Lebanon and the deliberate murder of its inhabitants. He evoked his repeated calls for calm and restraint since the start of the war in Gaza and his warnings against the extension of the conflict to Lebanese territory.

He also expressed concern over the “genocide” being perpetrated against the people of the Gaza Strip, urging the international community to assume its responsibility towards Palestinian refugees.  As a country hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees since 1948, Mikati reiterated the international community’s humanitarian and moral responsibility towards these refugees.

He asserted that any peace agreement would be futile without guaranteeing the right of return for Palestinians, adding that attempts to prevent them from living in a free and independent state will only lead to further crises in West Asia and beyond.