Menassa receives Spanish counterpart, who praises 'the remarkable efforts' of the Lebanese Army'

BEIRUT — Defense Minister Michel Menassa met Wednesday in Yarzeh with his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles Fernández, with whom he discussed the situation in South Lebanon and Madrid's support for the Lebanese Army.

Visiting Lebanon to inspect the Spanish contingent deployed within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Fernández praised "the remarkable efforts made by the military institution in implementing the deployment plan," lauding "the level of coordination between the Lebanese army and the Spanish UNIFIL contingent."

She also affirmed "her country's commitment to continue supporting Lebanon and the Lebanese army in all possible areas."

The Lebanese minister, for his part, expressed his gratitude for "this support on political, military, and humanitarian levels, particularly the assistance program aimed at the Lebanese army," expressing his desire to "strengthen and develop bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and Spain in various fields."

On Tuesday, Menassa hosted German Deputy Defense Minister Nils Hilmer in his office, where they discussed, among other topics, Germany's support for the Lebanese Army.

The army is expected to complete by the end of the year the dismantling, stipulated by the cease-fire agreement, of Hezbollah's military infrastructure between the Israeli border and the Litani River, located about thirty kilometers further north.

Israel maintains six positions on Lebanese territory and continues to carry out near-daily strikes.