Lebanese army arrives near Israeli border
About five weeks after ceasefire agreement came into force, Lebanese forces begin deploying along border with Israel. UNIFIL commander expresses his optimism that IDF soldiers' withdrawal will be completed by end of September
United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon Commander Alain Pellegrini expressed his optimism that the Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from southern Lebanon would be completed by the end of next weekend.
"I welcome the continued withdrawal of the (Israeli army) from south Lebanon, they have vacated most of the territory in the south," he said, while IDF soldiers evacuated the area south of Naqura and the Mays al-Jabal area.
Soldiers from India and Ghana entered the two areas evacuated by the IDF and accompanied the entry of the Lebanese army forces, which arrived there in the morning.
The UNIFIL commander said he expected "the rest of the IDF troops to finalize their withdrawal by the end of the month."
"We are almost there, and with the assistance of UNIFIL, Lebanese armed forces will very soon be able to take control of the whole south Lebanon including the areas along the Blue Line," he said.
Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr warned that Lebanon will resort to the UN Security Council if Israel does not complete its troop pullout by next Friday.
On Thursday, dozens of Hizbullah activists demonstrated near the border fence, in front of the Israeli community of Misgav on the eastern region. During the demonstration, in which the activists carried flags, some of them hurled some stones at the Israeli side of the border.
UN troops were dispatched to the area, but the demonstrators left before their arrival. There were no injuries in the incident and no damage was caused to the fence, but the IDF viewed the incident as severe and warned that "next time it may end in a different way."
Nasrallah: Hizbullah will not be disarmed
In his speech in Beirut on Friday, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressed the multinational force issue: "We welcomed you and I am saying it again. Your mission is to help the Lebanese army and not spy on Hizbullah or take away its weapons. This is what Kofi Annan himself said.
"So far I have not heard from any country participating in this that it has come to defend Lebanon. They are ashamed of us and say that they have come to defend Israel."
He also referred to the naval force being sent by Germany, saying that "the German chancellor said that the German naval forces have come to defend Israel's existence. You can close the water and the air, but this will not weaken our will and are weapons."
In the same speech, Nasrallah made it clear that his organization would not be disarmed.
"I am telling you: We have today – draw two lines underneath – more than 20,000 missiles," he said.
He defined the war's outcomes are "a strategic and historical victory" and said that thousands of fighters "turned the four most prestigious brigades into terrified and fleeing mice."
AFP contributed to the report
