'The resistance is doing its duty, and the Lebanese government is doing its,' Mikati says from south Lebanon

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday during an visit to southern Lebanon said that "the resistance" is doing its "duties," and so is the Lebanese government, amid daily exchanges of cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel, and mounting fears of a wider conflict in the country. 

"We are always advocates of peace, and our choice is the choice of peace and the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701. It is incumbent upon Israel to cease its repeated attacks on Lebanon and halt the war in Gaza, with everyone adhering to U.N. Resolution 2735," Mikati said during a visit to the health emergency room at the Union of Sour Municipalities center. 

Mikati was accompanied at the meeting by caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad.

In response to a question from journalists in Sour, Mikati said that he is "fully in solidarity with" the people of south Lebanon and abreast of their situation amid the ongoing cross-border fire.

"The resistance is doing its duty, and the Lebanese government is doing its duty, and our goal is to protect the country in every sense of the word," the prime minister added.

Hezbollah unilaterally decided to open a front of "solidarity with the resistance in Gaza" on Oct. 8, 2023. While some political parties and MPs, alongside Hezbollah allies within the Free Patriotic Movement, regularly criticize this decision, Mikati has adopted the Shiite party's position on the war in Gaza, which advocates for maintaining the south Lebanon front until a cease-fire is achieved in Gaza. 

During his visit to Sour, Mikati, however, also claimed that Lebanon's preference is "the choice of peace and the implementation of Resolution 1701," which put an end to the 2006 July war between Hezbollah and Israel and notably aims at a withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani river.

"Israel must stop its repeated aggressions against Lebanon and cease the war in Gaza, and everyone must implement United Nations Resolution 2735," he added, referring to a Gaza cease-fire text presented by the United States and adopted by the Security Council on June 10.

"In this difficult circumstance, we hope that things will pass well for this country," Mikati said, expressing his wish that "the war does not expand."

Earlier, during a visit to the Southern Litani Sector Command in Sour, Mikati was briefed on the situation in the region and the different tasks facing the Lebanese Army. During a speech at the end of his visit, the caretaker premier said that the army's briefing confirmed "the need to increase equipment and soldiers to fully implement Resolution 1701," which also allows for a military deployment along the Blue Line. Resolution 1701 "is a gateway to establishing a kind of permanent stability in southern Lebanon," he stated. Mikati also commended the army for being the "backbone and shield of the nation."

Mikati went on to say the "threats" Lebanon is facing from Israel "are a form of psychological warfare."

"We are in a state of war, and there have been a large number of martyrs among civilians and non-civilians, and many villages have been destroyed due to Israeli aggression," he added. 

According to the latest estimations obtained by L'Orient Today from the Council for the South, almost nine months of war in the south have completely or partially destroyed 3,000 housing units, while 12,000 have suffered moderate damage. 

Mikati's visit also entailed a stop at exam centers in Sour on the first day of the official state exams alongside caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi.