Lebanese Forces chief denounces Hezbollah fight with Israel

The head of the Christian political party Lebanese Forces on Sunday accused Hezbollah of dragging the country into a war with Israel without consulting the people.

In a speech attacking the Shiite Muslim group, Samir Geagea, who heads the main Christian bloc in parliament, accused Hezbollah of "confiscating the Lebanese people's decision on war and peace, as if there were no state".

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, Hezbollah has engaged in near daily cross-border fire with Israel in support of its Palestinian ally, which the Lebanese Forces and other parties oppose.

The clashes are "a war that the Lebanese people reject, but has been imposed on them", Geagea said in a speech to supporters north of Beirut.

"It is a war that the Lebanese people do not want and over which the government has had no say. This war does not serve Lebanon, it has brought nothing to Gaza, nor alleviated its suffering one iota," he added.

Iran-backed Hezbollah was the only Lebanese faction that did not disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war.

Its arsenal, reputed to be significantly larger than that of the Lebanese army, is touted by its supporters as a shield against Israel.

The movement's critics call Hezbollah a "state within a state".

"This war, in which Hezbollah is engaged, must stop before it brings about a major war that will spare no one," Geagea said.

He called on the government to "urge" Hezbollah to stop its fight with Israel.

Lebanon is without a president and the caretaker government is struggling to run a country gripped by a crippling financial crisis.

Tensions on the border appeared to have cooled since a major escalation last month. Analysts say both parties are showing restraint to avoid a regional escalation.

In the latest incident, one person was killed and 11 wounded in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon Sunday, the health ministry in Beirut said.

Hezbollah announced that one of its fighters had been killed by Israeli fire.

The violence since October has killed some 607 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but including at least 132 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians.

Tens of thousands of people remain displaced on both sides.