Lebanon PM says he will demand Israeli troops withdraw from ‘the so-called five points’

Lebanon’s new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, uses a tour of areas near the border with Israel to demand a full Israeli withdrawal and to promise residents of border villages a safe return to their homes and reconstruction.

“This is the first real working day of the government. We salute the army and its martyrs,” Salam says in the southern port city of Tyre while meeting residents of the border village of Dheira. “We promise you a safe return to your homes as soon as possible.”

The government is committed to the reconstruction of destroyed homes, which “is not a promise but a personal commitment by myself and the government,” Salam adds.

Israel withdrew its troops from most of the border area earlier this month, but left soldiers at what it said were five key posts inside Lebanon, in what Lebanese officials called a violation of the US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on November 27.

Salam says his government is gathering Arab and international support in order “to force the enemy to withdraw from our occupied lands and the so-called five points.”

“There is no real and lasting stability without full Israeli withdrawal,” he says.