IZHEVSK, April 24. /TASS/. Moscow reaffirms its support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and expects that the current ceasefire will hold, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"We could not remain indifferent in the current difficult situation, where over one million Lebanese citizens are suffering the effects of military operations," she pointed out.

"We express solidarity with the country’s people and leadership and reaffirm our fundamental position in support of Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We would like to hope that the ceasefire reached on April 16 will be strictly respected, making it possible to create conditions for sustainable de-escalation in Lebanon," Zakharova noted.

"You know very well that in hard times, Russia has always offered a helping hand to the Lebanese people and the people of other countries that asked for its assistance," the diplomat added.

US President Donald Trump announced on April 16 that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a ceasefire. He said he had held phone calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who agreed that the ten-day ceasefire would take effect at 12:00 a.m. on April 17.