Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, accompanied by Defense Minister Michel Mansour, arrived at the South Litani Sector Command in Tyre, where he affirmed that the army's deployment in the south represents the state's presence and its restoration of sovereignty.
Addressing the soldiers, Salam said that their presence in the south "is not just a military deployment," adding that every location where the army is deployed is a location where the state regains its prestige, and that raising the Lebanese flag over its positions constitutes a symbol of its legitimacy.
The Prime Minister stressed that his government is working to ensure that southern Lebanon, like all other regions, comes under the authority of a single state, and that constitutional institutions regain the power to decide on war and peace, calling for providing security and stability for citizens through an army that protects them.
Salam added that the strength of the military institution is not limited to weapons, equipment, and manpower, but also rests on its unity, considering the army to be one of the institutions that unites the Lebanese "as sons of one nation, not sons of sects and regions." He said, "The Lebanese today have no choice but to have one army, one flag, and one state."
He stressed that the government continues to mobilize Arab and international support to enhance the army’s human capabilities, modernize its equipment, and improve the living and social conditions of its soldiers, calling on members of the institution not to allow political disputes or sectarian divisions to infiltrate their ranks.
Salam pointed out that the return of the state to the south is not completed by military deployment alone, but requires the reactivation of services and institutions, including schools, hospitals, roads, electricity, water, administration and the judiciary, in addition to providing job opportunities and launching reconstruction projects.
Salam also affirmed that the government will spare no effort to achieve a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the return of prisoners to their cities and villages, stressing that supporting the army and strengthening its capabilities represents a fundamental strategic option in the project of restoring the state.
For his part, Defense Minister Michel Mansour affirmed Lebanon's commitment to restoring its sovereignty over all its territory, considering negotiations "the best way out of this impasse." He stated that the Lebanese army has proven its ability to carry out its assigned tasks with precision, pledging to the people of the south to continue working towards their return to their land "with their heads held high."
