Shafaq News- Beirut

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Sunday warned against renewed internal divisions, urging citizens to draw lessons from the civil war as Israeli forces continue operations in southern Lebanon.

Marking the anniversary of the war’s outbreak on April 13, 1975, Salam called for unity and cautioned against incitement and fear-driven rhetoric, stressing the need to preserve stability and prevent a return to internal strife. He acknowledged past miscalculations, including reliance on external backing and decisions that deepened divisions. “Some believed Lebanon could bear more than it could, while others thought weakness could be turned into strength.”

On current conditions, Salam pointed to the suffering of civilians affected by the escalation, including displaced families and those who have lost relatives, and emphasized the burden on southern Lebanon, pledging, “The South would not be left alone again.”

He highlighted the need for “a unified and capable state,” calling for full implementation of the Taif Agreement –the key reconciliation accord that ended the 15-year civil war– to ensure authority across all territory and equal application of the law, while reaffirming efforts to halt the war, secure Israeli withdrawal, rebuild affected areas, and facilitate the return of displaced residents.

Since hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on March 2, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,055 people and injured 6,588 others, including children and women, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Earlier today, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, visited Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu indicated that the regional landscape has shifted and that any potential incursion from Lebanon had been prevented.