Israeli occupation begins "slow withdrawal" from Lebanon

The Israeli occupation began a slow withdrawal from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon, as part of the implementation steps of the ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese army deployed in 5 locations around the town of Khiam - Marjayoun in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, as part of the first phase of deployment in the region.

In parallel, the ambassadors of the "Five-Party Committee" resumed their presidential movement by meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and the head of the "Lebanese Forces" party, Samir Geagea.

While US Ambassador Lisa Johnson expressed her optimism after meeting with the Speaker of Parliament about the completion of the presidential elections, Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa stressed the five-member committee’s belief in “the importance of electing a president of the republic as soon as possible,” stressing the importance of electing a president who brings all Lebanese together and also supports the implementation of Resolution 1701 and the implementation of reforms.

This came at a time when the opposition is waiting for the “Shiite duo” (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) to “be humble,” stop being “stubborn,” and review its presidential and political calculations, refusing for “Hezbollah” to remain in control of the state as it was before. This matter was discussed by parliamentary sources in the opposition, who told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The opposition set the specifications for the president before the ceasefire agreement and before the fall of the Syrian regime, while stressing that there is no return to what happened before October 8.”