An Israeli artillery unit fires during a military drill in the annexed Golan Heights near the border with Lebanon on Nov 2, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

BEIRUT - Lebanese Defense Minister Maurice Slim on Thursday slammed Israel for attacking civilians in southern Lebanon, calling on the international community to find a political solution to the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.

"Israel's attacks on civilians in southern Lebanon, the destruction of homes, the burning of forests and orchards, and its use of internationally prohibited weapons constitute a violation of international laws and conventions," Slim said during his meeting with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu in Beirut.

Slim called on the international community to maximize its efforts in "finding a political solution to the conflict based on the rule of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, establishing justice and realizing rights."

The defense minister also stressed Lebanon's keenness to preserve regional stability, reiterating his country's commitment to international resolutions.

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He added that Lebanon valued the sacrifices made by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) over the past decades and its role in southern Lebanon, reiterating his country's keenness to protect the force so that it can continue to perform its duties.

He said that Lebanon also appreciated the efforts made by France to limit the escalation and development of the conflict in the region.

An Israeli army soldier lies prone with a rifle near a battle tank at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Nov 1, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. (PHOTO / AFP)

Israel must stop the war machine and agree to a political solution based on the two-state solution following United Nations resolutions.

Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanese Foreign Minister 

For his part, Lecornu spoke of "the efforts made by France at the international level to reduce the escalation and avoid the expansion of the conflict," stressing "the importance of maintaining stability in Lebanon."

He reiterated his "affirmation of France's support for Lebanon and the army," pointing out "the importance of UNIFIL's role in the south in maintaining security and stability in its area of operation."

Call for speedy ceasefire

Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Thursday met with Deike Potzel, German special envoy for humanitarian issues in the Near and Middle East.

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Bou Habib called for a speedy ceasefire in southern Lebanon and a long-term solution in the Gaza Strip.

"Israel must stop the war machine and agree to a political solution based on the two-state solution following United Nations resolutions," he was quoted by the National News Agency as saying.

Earlier in the day, he also held a meeting with the ambassadors of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Paraguay, during which he urged Western countries to put pressure on Israel to stop its verbal threats of destroying Lebanon and its military attacks on the south of the country.

Confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli borders continued on Thursday, killing three Lebanese citizens and a Hezbollah fighter, according to a Lebanese army intelligence source who requires anonymity.

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The source told Xinhua that Israel carried out 13 airstrikes along the borderline, starting from Naqoura in southwest Lebanon to Shebaa and Kfarchouba in the southeast.

The source said that the Israeli military fired on Thursday more than 225 artillery shells on the outskirts and inside of more than 40 southern towns. As a result, seven homes were set on fire and other damages were reported.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters attacked the headquarters of Israeli barracks in the Shebaa Farms with two explosives-laden drones, the Israeli settlement of Al Manara, and the Israeli targets opposite the southern Lebanese town of Hula.