American General Jasper Jeffers, who heads the mechanism for supervising the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon, visited the south of the country on Friday and expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the Lebanese army.
IDF strikes in southern Lebanon
"I am incredibly impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the LAF. They are working around the clock to provide security and dismantle unexploded ordnance so Lebanese citizens can safely return home.” In the last few weeks, the LAF cleared over 9800 pieces of explosive ordnance from more than 80 locations," he said.
Meanwhile, Lebanese media outlets reported an expected visit by the American envoy, Amos Hochstein, to Beirut on Monday. According to the Qatari newspaper "Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed", Hochstein will be engaged in a dual mission: monitoring the implementation of the cease-fire agreement alongside discussions regarding the presidential elections in Lebanon.
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Jumhuriya, an important meeting of the committee supervising the cease-fire agreement will be held this coming Monday in Naqoura. Sources said that the meeting will be chaired by Hochstein which may send a message of seriousness regarding the implementation of the agreement.
At the same time, parliamentary sources told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah will continue to maintain self-restraint and will not be drawn into a military escalation against Israel. On Thursday, Air Force fighter jets destroyed Hezbollah medium-range rocket launchers in Lebanese territory. Arab media outlets reported three attacks in southern Lebanon.
Earlier, an Iranian plane was reported to have landed at Beirut airport with money intended for Hezbollah and was detained by local authorities. In addition, the IDF reportedly attacked security facilities in Aleppo, Syria.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
After the incident in which the Iranian plane was detained, a wave of protests erupted in Beirut's Dahiyeh district. However, things have return to relative normalcy. During the afternoon, the Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed reported that another Iranian plane had landed in Beirut, with an Iranian diplomat on board. His suitcase, according to the report, was checked at the airport. The channel added that a US diplomat who landed in Beirut today was similarly checked.
Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Molawi later clarified in a conversation with the channel that the activities of the Interior Ministry and the airport security apparatus are intended to protect Lebanon. According to the minister, it was decided to carry out a check on all diplomats landing in the country, in a routine procedure. "We are implementing the law and protecting the airport and Lebanon as a whole, it cannot bear new aggression," he said.