Lebanon's guide calls for immediate Israeli troop deduction

Lebanon's guide calls for immediate Israeli troop deduction

Dubai, Vae - The Israeli military occupation in parts of southern Lebanon undermines Beirut's efforts to restore sovereignty over a country that suffers from conflicts from decades. This was explained by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in an interview with CNN.

appeal to the USA

The Prime Minister emphasized that he would like the current US government to put pressure on Israel to withdraw from five certain locations in southern Lebanon. A US deal mediated in November of last year had paused months between the Israeli military and the mighty militia Hezbollah supported by Iran. Israel weakened the Hezbollah significantly last year by killing many of its leadership members and reducing their power significantly through massive air raids.

Lebanon states in agreements

Salam said that Lebanon complies with its obligations from the November Agreement and that the Lebanese army consolidates "control" over the south of the country and its borders. Hezbollah is committed to an agreement that says that the Lebanese army is the only authorized authority that can lead weapons. "However, Israel did not comply with his obligations," he added.

Israeli presence as a red line

The "Israeli presence in Lebanon is a red line for everyone. This is not just a red line for Hezbollah," Salam said in an interview with Becky Anderson from CNN in Dubai, where he takes part in the Arab Media Forum and meets with the Emiratic leadership.

political counterproductivity of the Israeli military presence

He added: "Israel's argument is that you have to stay in these five points in order to be able to better monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. But we do not live in the First World War - we are in the age of satellite images, the drones with cameras. You have balloons to monitor the region, not to mention a network of spies on site." Salam noticed that the Israeli presence was politically counterproductive and that the government undermine is undermine: "We want Israel to pull off yesterday, not tomorrow."

uncertainty background conditions

Despite the agreement on a withdrawal of Lebanese territory as part of the agreement mediated by the USA, Israel has declared that the Lebanese army has not yet taken control of an area with Hezbollah presence. The Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said in March that the Israeli military would remain "an indefinite period" in these five points to protect the residents of the north - regardless of future negotiations.

international monitoring of the ceasefire

Together with the United States, France and the United Nations also monitor the ceasefire. "I am sure that they can testify that the Lebanon has complied with its obligations while Israel did not do this," said Salam about the mediating countries.

political reorganization in Lebanon

Salam, who gained importance against Israel through his presidency in the International Court of Justice during the South African Council, was unexpectedly appointed Lebanese Prime Minister in January - a step that was regarded as a blow to Hezbollah and its allies.

As a reformer, the Prime Minister held specific priorities for his mandate, including combating institutional corruption and restoring sovereignty through his country by disarming Hezbollah and Palestinian groups. "The goal ... is that the state should have the exclusive monopoly over weapons and its entire territory," he said in the interview.