U.S. Says Lebanese Army Expanded Presence in South Crucial
In a statement posted on the platform X, owned by a US social media company, the embassy said, “The Lebanese Army’s expanded presence in the south and ongoing efforts to restore state sovereignty across the country represent critical steps forward for Lebanon’s stability,” the embassy said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.
According to the embassy, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Issa met with Lebanon's Defense Minister Michel Menassa, where the two discussed “the LAF’s pivotal role as Lebanon’s sole security guarantor.”
In a separate engagement, the embassy said Issa also held talks with Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny, focusing on “plans for rehabilitating and modernizing transportation infrastructure throughout Lebanon.”
That meeting additionally addressed “the prospect of transparent, government-led reconstruction efforts in the South,” the statement said.
The comments come as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Oct. 16 that Lebanon intended to raise the number of troops deployed in the south to 10,000 by the end of the year under a ceasefire agreement with Israel. He added that ongoing Israeli attacks have stalled the rollout.
A ceasefire has been in effect since November 2024, following more than a year of hostilities that killed over 4,000 people and wounded 17,000 others amid the broader Israeli war in Gaza.
Under the agreement, the Israeli army was expected to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon in January. Instead, it carried out only a partial pullout and continues to hold five military outposts along the border.
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