Lebanon’s Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed on Monday his government’s commitment to the US, European, and Arab ceasefire proposal and to deploy the Lebanese army to the Israel border under the auspices of UN Resolution 1701.
During his visit to Ain al-Tineh, Mikati emphasized that Lebanon fully supports the contents of the ceasefire statement, calling it the official stance of the Lebanese government.
Mikati also stated that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri assured him that once a ceasefire is achieved, the parliament will convene to elect a new president.
The presidency has been vacant since October 2022, when the term of Michel Aoun came to an end. The Lebanese parliament has attempted but failed over a dozen times to agree on a successor.
Prime Minister Mikati also confirmed Lebanon’s readiness to deploy its army south of the Litani River immediately after a ceasefire is reached.
On 25 September, the US and its western and Arab allies released a statement calling for a three-week ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, and Qatar all signed the statement, which they said will allow for negotiations pushing Hezbollah to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety,” the statement said.
Israeli political leaders quickly rejected the ceasefire call.
“There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the terrorist organization Hezbollah with all our might until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said via social media on 26 September.
Israel then unleashed a massive bombing campaign that succeeded in killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other leaders of the Lebanese resistance movement on 27 September.
The Israeli military is reportedly preparing for a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
UN Resolution 1701 was passed in the wake of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. It called for Israeli forces to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon, for Hezbollah to withdraw its forces to areas behind the Litani River, and for the Lebanese army and a UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, to deploy along the Lebanon–Israel border.