Lebanon president 'Ceasefire should move to permanent agreement'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said that a ceasefire agreed to ‌by his country should be transformed into "permanent agreements," without saying whether he was referring to a prospective peace deal with Israel.

The televised address was his first speech since the U.S. brokered a ceasefire to end six weeks of fighting between ​Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah on



Thursday. 

The text of the deal says Israel and Lebanon ​would hold direct talks to produce "peace between the two countries."

"Now, we all stand before a new ​phase: the transition from working towards a ceasefire to working towards permanent agreements that preserve the rights of ​our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation," he said.