BRUSSELS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has agreed to provide an additional 100 million euros (about 116 U.S. dollars) to Lebanon's Armed Forces, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday.
The EU announcement came as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon faces mounting strains.
On social media platform X, Kallas said the latest ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon offers a chance to prevent a return to full-scale hostilities. However, she cautioned that the death of a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper and continued skirmishes "underscore the tenuous nature of what was agreed."
Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday agreed in Washington to implement a ceasefire, which is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector.
However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Thursday that resistance against Israel will continue and Israeli settlements will remain unsafe as long as the occupation and attacks on Lebanese territory persist. A UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed overnight by what Israel described as mortar shells fired from Hezbollah.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday expressed hope that ongoing negotiations in Washington between Lebanese, U.S. sides, and Israeli delegations would yield positive results, including Israeli forces' withdrawal from Lebanese territories in the south, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army up to the internationally recognized border.
