Lebanese Defense Minister Maurice Slim said that "Lebanon's demand for a ceasefire and its commitment to implementing Resolution 1701 confirms once again that Lebanon does not seek war, but at the same time it does not accept the continuation of the criminal Israeli attacks that target innocent people in several areas." The minister considered that "the international community must put strong pressure on Israel to force it to implement Resolution 1701 and stop the aggression against Lebanon." He stressed that "the Israeli occupation has never committed to this international resolution since it was issued in 2006, and Israeli violations have exceeded 35,000 violations on land, sea and air. Therefore, if the international community really wants to stop the aggression against Lebanon, it must oblige Israel to abide by Resolution 1701 because it is the one violating the international will embodied in this resolution." Resolution 1701 allows peacekeeping forces to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces in keeping the area of ??operations free of weapons or armed personnel not affiliated with the Lebanese state. Source: Maan News Agency