Lebanon's normalization with Israel impossible: Parliament speaker Berri

Beirut, Nov 9 (IANS) Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said that "normalization with Israel is out of the question."

All the relevant parties, including Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France, and the UN, should be included in indirect talks, Berri told Lebanese Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Xinhua news agency reported.

"There is no objection to involving civilian experts when necessary, as was done during the demarcation of the Blue Line in 2000, when geological and mapping specialists were consulted," he said.

"All Israeli threats and airstrikes will not change our position on this matter," he added.

A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since November 27, 2024. Still, the Israeli army continues to conduct occasional strikes in Lebanon, saying its operations were against Hezbollah "threats," while maintaining forces at five main positions along the Lebanese border.

On Saturday, three Israeli airstrikes targeting three vehicles in eastern and southern Lebanon killed three people and injured 11 others, the official National News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Lebanon has placed postwar reconstruction at the top of its agenda despite continued Israeli attacks that are slowing recovery efforts, Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny said on Saturday.

"Reconstruction constitutes a top priority for the government and the presidency," Rasamny said, according to the official National News Agency, adding that fieldwork has been repeatedly disrupted by Israeli strikes.

Rasamny said the government has completed detailed assessments of infrastructure damage and developed a clear reconstruction vision, noting that total losses from the recent war may exceed $11 billion. Lebanon is awaiting a 250-million-dollar World Bank loan to begin rehabilitating key facilities. "This amount is not enough, but it forms a starting point for the reconstruction process," he added.

--IANS

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