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Lebanon's Salam says a strong army is needed for state sovereignty
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Friday at the Benwa Berakat Barracks in Tyre that the army must be strengthened to restore state sovereignty across the country. Defense Minister Michel Menass said the first objective in the negotiations was Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited the Benwa Berakat Barracks in the southern city of Tyre on Friday and spoke about the army's role in restoring state sovereignty.
Salam said the state could not fulfill its duties without a strong and united army. He said increasing the army's capabilities was a strategic choice for restoring the state's authority over the country's territory, adding that the military presence in the south was not merely a deployment but also represented the state's presence in the area.
Arab and international support for the Lebanese army
Salam said strengthening the army was not a technical or secondary issue in the government's program, but was at the center of the state reconstruction project. He said the government continued to seek Arab and international support to develop the army's human resources, renew its equipment and improve the living and social conditions of its personnel.
According to Salam, the army's strength is measured not only by its weapons, equipment and number of personnel; the institution's unity is also important. He called on soldiers not to allow political or sectarian tendencies to infiltrate the army and to remain committed to the Constitution and the law.
Goal of a single state authority in southern Lebanon
Salam said the government wanted to bring the whole country, including southern Lebanon, under a single state authority and announced that it aimed to return decisions on war and peace to the state and constitutional institutions.
Salam said the state's presence in the south could not be completed merely by deploying the army in the area, adding that they were working to restore public institutions and services there as well. He listed schools, hospitals, roads, electricity, water, public administration, the judiciary, employment and reconstruction among these areas.
During a meeting with the families of soldiers who had lost their lives, Salam said the best response to them would be to build a state with strong institutions. The prime minister said that in such a state, no weapon should stand above the army's weapon.
Israel's withdrawal is the first objective in negotiations
Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menass said the visit to Tyre was intended to reaffirm the government's position of restoring state sovereignty throughout the country and securing Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Menass described Israel's withdrawal as the first objective in the negotiations and said it was the most suitable option among those available. He said the government would continue working to achieve this objective.
Salam was accompanied on his visit by Brigadier General Mohammed Mustafa, secretary-general of the Higher Defense Council. He was welcomed by Defense Minister Michel Menass, Chief of Staff Major General Hassan Awde and Brigadier General Nicolas Tabet, commander of the Litani area.
Airstrikes before the visit to Tyre
On Friday morning, when Salam's visit to Tyre took place, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on the Lebanese town of Mansouri. The attacks came as clashes continued despite the framework agreement signed under U.S. auspices between Tel Aviv and Beirut on June 26.
The framework agreement provides for Israel's gradual withdrawal from all Lebanese territories under occupation and the deployment of the Lebanese army in those areas. The text also calls for armed groups to surrender their weapons.
Attacks on Lebanon began on March 2, leaving more than 4,000 people dead and 12,000 injured during this period. Israel continues to control several areas in southern Lebanon, some of them for decades, and advanced more than 10 kilometers during the latest clashes.
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