Breaking: Mikati Pledges to Strengthen Army in South After Ceasefire

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Tuesday that Lebanon is prepared to strengthen its military presence in the southern region after a ceasefire is established, noting that Israeli forces have been making brief incursions across the border.

In an interview with AFP, Mikati said, “We currently have 4,500 soldiers stationed in southern Lebanon, and we are looking to increase that number to between 7,000 and 11,000.” He added that once a ceasefire is in place, Lebanon will be able to redeploy soldiers from other parts of the country to the south. He also mentioned reports of “brief Israeli incursions” into southern Lebanon.

Mikati further revealed that security measures have been intensified at Beirut’s only airport to eliminate any possible justification for an Israeli attack. “The government is doing everything within its power to prevent any pretexts from being used by Israel,” he said, adding that “enhanced security has been implemented at the airport,” which is near Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut, an area heavily targeted by Israeli airstrikes.