The Lebanese army will deploy to south Lebanon all along to the border with Israel within days, a Lebanese military official told reporters on Tuesday.

"No timetable has been set for the deployment of the force yet, but it is likely to begin within days," the senior official said on the condition of anonymity.

"The deployment of Lebanese troops this time will cover both south and north of the Litani river," about 30 km from the Israeli border, the official said. Beirut has allegedly been unable to deploy troops south of the river for decades because the guerilla group Hezbollah has been controlling the area.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701 on Friday, calling for Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon and authorizing a joint deployment of the Lebanese and UN forces there. An estimated 15,000 Lebanese troops are expected to move in.

The resolution came after a month of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. More than 1,100 Lebanese have been killed, mostly in Israeli air strikes, while over 100 Israelis have been killed in Hezbollah attacks.

On Monday, officials of the UN Interim troops in Lebanon met with Lebanese and Israeli generals in the Lebanese town of Naqoura, near the Israeli border, to discuss a scheme concerning Israel's withdrawal starting from Wednesday.

According to the scheme, Israel will hand over their positions to UN peacekeepers, who will then help the Lebanese forces to take control of the region.