Mikati says Lebanon pushing for Israeli pullout, return of displaced

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday said that “diplomatic contacts are ongoing and were intensified yesterday to halt the Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and secure withdrawal from Lebanese border towns.”

“We stressed during these contacts the priority of stabilizing the situations so that the displaced can return to their towns and areas and the army’s deployment in the south can be expanded,” Mikati told his visitors.

He added that “the Army Command’s announcement that it needs to recruit soldiers for its combat units is part of the implementation of Cabinet’s decision on increasing the army’s personnel to reinforce its deployment in the various areas of the south.”