Lebanon ready to implement UN resolution, deploy army on southern border: PM

Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said that his country is ready to implement UN Resolution 1701 to ease tensions on its southern border with Israel.

Mikati, speaking after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said on Monday that Lebanon was willing to deploy its army on south of the Litani river in coordination with UN peacekeepers, Xinhua news agency reported.

The announcement comes in response to international calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, he added.

Resolution 1701, passed in 2006, ended a 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. It called for a cessation of hostilities, Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and bolstering the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to monitor the ceasefire alongside the Lebanese army.

The resolution established a demilitarised zone between the Lebanon-Israel border and the Litani river, permitting only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces to bear arms in the area.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating the resolution and deploying troops south of the Litani river.

On Monday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant suggested the Israeli military was preparing for a ground offensive to remove Hezbollah from the border area.

Since 23 September, Israel has intensified airstrikes across Lebanon, culminating in a significant strike on Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut that reportedly killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and many of his associates.

This escalation has intensified ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on 8 October 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, prompting retaliatory Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes in southeastern Lebanon.

A new policy brief released on Monday by several UN agencies highlights the devastating impact of recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon's economy. Poverty rates are projected to soar to 94 per cent in Nabatieh Governorate and 87 per cent in South Governorate, both areas severely affected by the destruction.

The brief emphasises that "ending the conflict and addressing its root causes is crucial for the well-being of the people in the region and the stability of the entire area".