Lebanon’s parliament speaker: Israel preventing full deployment of Lebanese army along border

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says Israel is preventing the complete deployment of the Lebanese Army along the country’s southern border, due to the presence of IDF troops in five strategic locations inside Lebanese territory. He adds that 9,000 Lebanese Army soldiers have already been deployed south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

Berri, whose remarks were quoted by Arab media during a meeting with journalists in Lebanon, also says that Israel’s claims that weapons are being smuggled into Lebanon through Syria are false.

Berri, who heads the Amal Movement, a Hezbollah ally, further states that “the resistance,” a reference to Hezbollah, “is fully committed to the ceasefire agreement.”

Israel says Hezbollah is continually violating the ceasefire and attempting to rebuild its forces in southern Lebanon, and has increasingly been carrying out strikes on targets belonging to the terror group.