BEIRUT, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese government is determined to strengthen the deployment of the country's armed forces in southern Lebanon, Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdallah Bou Habib said Sunday.
The government has decided to recruit and train some 1,500 soldiers in preparation for sending another 5,000 soldiers to join about 4,500 already present in southern Lebanon, Bou Habib said in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh during a ministerial preparatory meeting ahead of the Arab-Islamic Summit scheduled for Sunday.
According to posts published by the ministry on social media platform X, Bou Habib called for Arab and Islamic support and assistance "in providing the requirements for this deployment."
Urging Arab and Islamic pressure on Israel to stop the war and destruction in Lebanon, Bou Habib said, "Lebanon has clearly expressed its position and vision for a sustainable solution through the comprehensive and parallel implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701."
Lebanon is committed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and its condemnation of any attacks on its personnel or headquarters, he added.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been launching an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes since the beginning of the war on Oct. 8, 2023, has reached 3,136, with injuries hitting 13,979. ■
