Lebanese army to increase deployment of soldiers to 10,000 troops in southern Lebanon

Earlier, the Lebanese Armed Forces said that it is preparing to deploy its forces to southern Lebanon, Reuters reported on Wednesday. 

 Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. (photo credit: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024.
(photo credit: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

The Lebanese army will increase deployment of soldiers in southern Lebanon to 10,000 troops, Lebanon's Defense Minister Maurice Sleem told Qatari state media Al Jazeera on Wednesday morning. 

Sleem also told Al Jazeera that "there will be only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces on Lebanese territory." He also said that the Lebanese government is committed to international resolutions and Lebanon's sovereignty. 

Lebanese army to deploy increased forces to southern Lebanon 

Earlier, the Lebanese Armed Forces said that it is preparing to deploy its forces to southern Lebanon, Reuters reported on Wednesday. 

 A man holds a Hezbollah flag as he stands on debris in Beirut's southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday morning, in Lebanon, November 27, 2024. (credit: MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS)
A man holds a Hezbollah flag as he stands on debris in Beirut's southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday morning, in Lebanon, November 27, 2024. (credit: MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS)

The army also asked in a statement that residents of border villages delay returning home until the Israeli military withdraws.

This is a developing story.