BEIRUT/TEHRAN/OTTAWA - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday that Israel has refused to respond to Lebanese, Arab, and international calls to halt military operations and begin negotiations.

Aoun said the war "will not lead to any practical result but will only increase the suffering of the Lebanese people," stressing that negotiations are the only solution that can restore security and stability to the region, according to a statement by Lebanon's Presidency.

He made the remarks during a meeting with visiting French Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces Alice Rufo, adding that Lebanon supports the efforts of French President Emmanuel Macron to help reach a ceasefire and launch negotiations.

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Rufo reaffirmed France's support for Lebanon, as well as its support for the positions announced by the Lebanese president, particularly the negotiation initiative and the decisions taken by the Lebanese government.

During separate talks, Aoun met with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, who expressed full solidarity with Lebanon and reaffirmed the United Nations' commitment to continuing humanitarian support amid the country's difficult circumstances and growing needs.

Aoun outlined the security and humanitarian challenges resulting from the escalation, particularly the displacement crisis and pressure on infrastructure and basic services.

Iran’s supreme leader pledges support for Hezbollah

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has sent a message to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem, pledging continued support for the resistance against the United States and Israel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported early Wednesday.

In his message, Iran's supreme leader appreciated Qassem's condolences and sympathy for the "martyrdom" of his father, Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a US-Israeli airstrike in Tehran on Feb 28.

Khamenei said steadfastness and resistance against the Muslim world's "most stubborn enemies," namely, the United States and Israel, were among the most prominent characteristics of Iran's former supreme leader. He praised late Hezbollah leaders for their fights, bravery and sacrifices.

Israel resumes airstrikes

At least 14 people were killed and several others wounded in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday night, according to official and preliminary reports, as cross-border fighting intensified.

Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said that an Israeli airstrike on the town of Srifa in the Tyre district killed three people and wounded 19 others. In the village of Jibchit, a man and his pregnant wife were killed, while two more died in a strike on the town of Kafra.

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At least six people were reportedly killed in a strike on a house in the town of An-Najjariyah, according to preliminary reports from Lebanon's National News Agency. One person was killed in a drone strike on a car in the town of Tebnine in the Bint Jbeil district.

In response, Hezbollah said that it launched the Khaybar 2 operation, targeting Israeli forces, military sites, and infrastructure with guided missiles, rocket barrages, and drones.

Lebanon's Public Health Ministry said in its daily report that the total number of people killed since March 2 has risen to 1,268, while the number of injured has reached 3,750.

READ MORE: Netanyahu: Israel creating expanded 'buffer zone' in S. Lebanon

Also on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz that Israel will maintain a "security zone" in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River indefinitely, banning the return of more than 600,000 displaced residents and ordering the demolition of villages near the border.

Speaking after a situation assessment with senior military officers, Katz said homes in border villages would be demolished, and Israeli forces would maintain a permanent presence in the zone "with strict enforcement and absolute deterrence."

"We are determined to separate Lebanon from the Iranian arena, remove Hezbollah's threat capability, and change the situation in Lebanon once and for all," he said. "Just as in Syria and Gaza, so in Lebanon."

The plan would extend Israeli control well beyond the Blue Line, a line demarcated by the United Nations in 2000 to verify Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The Litani River lies significantly north of that line, meaning Israel would be holding a broad stretch of Lebanese territory if implemented.

Canada PM condemns Israel’s ‘illegal invasion’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday condemned Israel's military operation in Lebanon, calling it an "illegal invasion" that violates Lebanon's territorial sovereignty and integrity.

When asked at a press conference about the Middle East conflict, Carney said, "It is an illegal invasion, it's an invasion of Lebanon. It's a violation of their territorial sovereignty, integrity."

Cross-border fighting has continued along the Lebanon-Israel border since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire agreed on Nov 27, 2024, triggering intensified Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon.