Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says his country is on the verge of a “new phase” of “permanent agreements”, after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force, AFP reports.

“Now, we all stand before a new phase,” Aoun has said in his first speech to the nation since the truce, adding, “it is the phase of transition from working on a ceasefire to working on permanent agreements that preserve the rights of our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation.”