Haykal: Lebanon will regain every inch of land under Israeli occupation

BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army Commander, Rodolf Haykal, said on Tuesday that "Lebanon will regain every inch of its land under Israeli occupation," during a visit to the northern city of Tripoli, according to a statement released by the Lebanese Army.

During the visit, Haykal said that “anyone who attacks the military institution or questions its role, knowingly or unknowingly, is serving the objectives of the Israeli occupation and stirring sectarian tensions that fuel internal strife."

Despite a cease-fire agreement reached on April 16, the Israeli army still controls many villages in southern Lebanon and declared a "buffer zone" in the region. It is also carrying out daily detonations of houses and infrastructure in the region it occupied despite the cease-fire.

According to the army statement released on X, Haykal inspected the Command of the 12th Infantry Brigade in Qobbeh – Tripoli, where he reviewed the missions carried out within the brigade’s sector, and met with officers and soldiers. He also offered his condolences for the killing of a soldier and wished a speedy recovery to those injured on April 17, when an army patrol came under gunfire while intervening to end an armed clash between two families in the Tebbaneh area of Tripoli.

In his remarks, Haykal considered that "civil peace is the strongest weapon to protect Lebanon from the threats it faces, and that this is achieved through the army’s steadfastness and determination."

He continued, addressing the soldiers: "Make the protection of Lebanon your highest goal and primary objective, and place its interest above all else. This is your mission, which must remain firmly rooted in your conscience.”

He later inspected one of the brigade’s units in the Abu Ali roundabout area, from where he stressed that citizens’ security depends on the performance of every soldier across all units deployed throughout the country. "With our strength and steadfastness, we will lead our country to salvation," he added.