Beirut, Nov 10
The Lebanese government is determined to strengthen the deployment of the country's armed forces in southern Lebanon, Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdallah Bou Habib said Sunday.
The government has decided to recruit and train around 1,500 soldiers in preparation for sending another 5,000 soldiers to join approximately 4,500 already present in southern Lebanon. This announcement was made by Minister Bou Habib in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh during a ministerial preparatory meeting ahead of the Arab-Islamic Summit scheduled for Sunday. According to posts published by the ministry on the social media platform X, Bou Habib called for Arab and Islamic support and assistance "in providing the requirements for this deployment." He urged Arab and Islamic pressure on Israel to stop the war and destruction in Lebanon, stating, "Lebanon has clearly expressed its position and vision for a sustainable solution through the comprehensive and parallel implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701." Lebanon is committed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and its condemnation of any attacks on its personnel or headquarters, he added, as reported by Xinhua news agency. Since September 23, the Israeli army has been launching an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah. According to the Lebanese health ministry, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes since the beginning of the war on October 8, 2023, has reached 3,136, with injuries hitting 13,979.