BEIRUT – Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Sunday that the Lebanese government is prepared to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which aimed to end Hezbollah’s armed presence south of the Litani River as part of an agreement to halt conflict with Israel.
Mikati stated that Lebanon is ready to deploy its army south of the river, about 30 km from the southern border, in coordination with UN peacekeepers. This move comes amid heightened tensions following two weeks of Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, which have killed several Hezbollah commanders.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that over 1,000 people have been killed, with 6,000 wounded, and a million displaced in recent violence. Mikati, alongside House Speaker Nabih Berri, emphasized that electing a new president to fill Lebanon’s nearly two-year vacancy will only occur after a ceasefire is achieved.
UNSC 1701, which was passed after the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, called for Israel’s full withdrawal from southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to be the only armed forces in the area south of the Litani River.