BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday called on the US and France to help speed up the withdrawal of Israeli forces from his country nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Mikati emphasized his commitment to “resolving all disputes related to the Blue Line — the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and Israel — to eliminate any justification for the Israeli occupation of Lebanese land.”

Mikati was on his first visit to the southern frontlines, where Lebanese soldiers under the US-brokered ceasefire deal are expected to gradually deploy, with Hezbollah and Israeli troops expected to withdraw by the end of next month.

Speaking from the border town of Khiam, Mikati said he was working with “the World Bank, the European Union, Arab countries, and our international partners to create a trust fund” for reconstruction efforts.

The World Bank estimated in October that the fighting had caused physical damage amounting to “at least $3.4 billion” in Lebanon.

Mikati is the first Lebanese official to enter Khiam after the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the area.

He assessed the extensive and systematic destruction in the town after the Israeli forces’ demolition of homes and facilities.

Mikati expressed “profound pain over the destruction.”

He underlined the need for “an immediate Israeli withdrawal from the Lebanese territories that the Israeli army has penetrated.”

He said: “These are essential issues for the Lebanese army to be ready to carry out its duties in full. The measures related to UN Resolution 1701 will take their natural course and be fully implemented by the army, with American and French guarantees.”

He said no obstacles must prevent the army from fulfilling its duties.

Mikati said that “the delay and procrastination in implementing the international resolution did not originate from the military, but rather the issue lies with the Israeli side, which is exhibiting a reluctance to proceed.”

He continued: “We must consult the parties to the ceasefire agreement, namely the French and the Americans, to put an end to this Israeli procrastination and to expedite the process as much as possible before the end of the 60 days stipulated in the ceasefire agreement for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Lebanese territories.”

Mikati said the Lebanese government “is responsible for implementing measures in line with international law. It is also fully committed to enforcing UN Security Council resolutions.

“This is the current scope of our work. I say to all skeptics: ‘Hope for the best, and you shall find it.’”

Regarding reconstruction, Mikati said: “We will develop a plan and conduct studies within the necessary timeframe and with complete transparency.”

The truce in southern Lebanon went into force on Nov. 27 after more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that began with the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

During his first visit to the border region since the implementation of the ceasefire, under the auspices of the US and France, Mikati traveled from Beirut to the Marjayoun barracks in the eastern sector to inspect the army units stationed at the front lines.

Awaiting his arrival was the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. Joseph Aoun.

Mikati saluted “the souls of the army martyrs who fell defending the land,” praising “the high morale of the soldiers and their insistence on defending the land despite all the difficulties.”

The prime minister said: “The army has never faltered in its duties, and we are facing a challenging test.

“It has consistently proven to be a symbol of national unity and carries out its responsibilities, with all Lebanese standing by its side in support.”

Mikati expressed the hope that the meeting he has requested on Tuesday with the US, French, and Lebanese military representatives in the oversight committee for monitoring the ceasefire “will address issues related to the deployment of the Lebanese army in light of Israel’s withdrawal from all territories it penetrated during its recent aggression so that the army can carry out its duties in full.”

Gen. Aoun said that “despite all the limited resources, the army remained steadfast in its positions and protected civilians. We will continue our mission because we believe in our actions.”

The second stop for Mikati and Gen. Aoun on the tour was the UNIFIL Eastern Sector Command in the town of Ebel El-Saqi.

UNIFIL Force Commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro and the commander of the eastern sector, Gen. Fernando Ruiz, received them.

The audience listened to an explanation of the field situation in the operations room.

Gen. Lazaro highlighted the tasks carried out by UNIFIL in coordination with the army.

He confirmed “the continuation of the meetings of the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee to carry out the required tasks.”

Mikati praised UNIFIL’s “role and close cooperation with the army.”

He emphasized that “our priority is the full implementation of Resolution 1701, Israel’s withdrawal from the territories it has penetrated, and stopping the systematic destruction of villages and halting violations. We look forward to long-term stability in the south through the army carrying out its duties in full cooperation with UNIFIL.”

On his way back, Mikati was warmly welcomed by residents of Qlayaa and Marjayoun in the towns’ squares, where he praised “the steadfastness of the people and their attachment to their land.”

Also on Monday, in a provocative move, the Israeli army raised the Israeli flag at the entrance of the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura. UNIFIL’s headquarters are in Naqoura.

The Israeli forces also blocked the Bint Jbeil–Maroun El-Ras road with earth mounds and concrete blocks, preventing vehicle access to Maroun El-Ras.

Israel reconnaissance planes continued to violate Lebanese airspace in the south.

Israeli forces shelled Kafr Kila and Bani Hayyan and destroyed houses in Naqoura, as well as in Al-Bustan and Al-Zalloutiyeh in Tyre, south Lebanon.

The Israeli army again warned residents of southern Lebanon not to move south to a line of villages stretching from Mansouri on the coast to Shebaa in the east until further notice.

TEHRAN: At least nine people were killed on Monday when a bus collided with a fuel truck in Iran’s southeast, state media reported, the second mass casualty road accident within days.
Mohammad Mehdi Sajjadi, head of the Red Crescent Society in Sistan-Baluchestan province, told the official IRNA news agency that “nine people lost their lives and 13 others were injured in the accident in which a bus collided with a fuel truck near Zahedan.”
On Saturday, 10 people were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine in Iran’s western Lorestan province.
Iran has a poor road safety record, with more than 20,000 deaths in accidents recorded between March 2023 and March 2024, according to figures from the judiciary’s Forensic Medicine Organization cited by local media.
In August, 28 Pakistani Muslim pilgrims en route to Iraq were killed when their bus crashed in central Iran.
Impoverished Sistan-Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, saw one of Iran’s deadliest accidents in 2004, when a gasoline tanker collided with a bus, sparking a massive fire that killed more than 70 people.