Before the August 14 truce, Israeli military operations claimed the lives of about 1,000 Lebanese civilians, forced nearly a quarter of the country's population to flee, and crippled large parts of the country's infrastructure. About 100 Israelis, most of them soldiers, also lost their lives in the fighting.
Konstantin Kosachev, head of the International Affairs Committee in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, said Israel failed to reach its stated goal of eradicating terrorism.
"Terrorist sentiments inside Hizbollah only enhanced and expanded," he said.
Kosachev said developments in the region will depend on the actions of both sides in the conflict. He said it was the Lebanese army, which will be deployed in the war-torn south of the country under the UN conflict resolution program, that must disarm Hizbollah, while UN peacekeepers must prevent renewed hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.
He said Israel must refrain from further military operations that affect civilians, adding that anti-terrorist operations must be conducted by special services and not the military.
