Two Lebanese soldiers walk past a poster showing
Israel's attack toward the southern Lebanese town of Qana at the Central Square
of Beirut, yesterday. -Xinhua
The Lebanese army will deploy in south Lebanon Wednesday with a symbolic
force, a political source in Beirut was quoted by Israeli local newspaper
Ha'aretz.
This will be the first time in more than two decades that the Lebanese
army has positioned itself along the border with Israel.
Meanwhile, a UN peacekeeping official said that the Lebanese army will begin
to deploy Thursday in areas south of the Litani River where the Israeli army has
withdrawn.
The deployment was decided in a meeting attended by representatives from
Israel and Lebanon as well as the UNIFIL peacekeeping force, which also mulled
the concrete program of troop movement, the official added.
Describing the meeting as a constructive one, the official said that "we were
working hard to get the (UN Security Council) resolution implemented."
It was the second such three-way session since at the border crossing point
Ras Naquora since the UN resolution was adopted.
The UN resolution, unanimously adopted by the Security Council on Friday,
calls for Israel's withdrawal and authorizes an increase of the existing UN
force in Lebanon to 15,000 troops to help Lebanese troops take control of south
Lebanon as Israel withdraws.
Lebanon and Israel approved UN-brokered ceasefire after over 1,000 Lebanese
and about 150 Israelis have been killed during the 33 days of fighting, which
was erupted on July 12 following the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by
Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.