Beirut: Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun met in Beirut on Wednesday with Deputy Secretary-General for Peace, Security, and Defense of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Charles Fries, and stressed the need for Israel to return the Lebanese prisoners. He also entreated European Union countries to step up pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied sites and cease its daily assaults on Lebanese territories, stressing that unless these demands are met, the situation will remain perturbed.

According to Qatar News Agency, President Aoun affirmed that Lebanon welcomes any support the EU provides to the Lebanese military and armed forces to further bolster their role in protecting the security and stability of all Lebanese territories. The military is deployed throughout Lebanese territories and undertakes limited functions, alongside its basic mission in the south, where it is deployed south of the Litani, except for zones still occupied by Israel in contravention of the deal reached last November, Aoun said.

He added that there is close collaboration between the military and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) operating in the south. By the end of the year, the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south will number approximately 10,000 personnel, and there will be an urgent need to provide essential equipment, vehicles, and supplies to enable them to carry out the tasks required under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, he stressed.

Aoun further indicated that the end of UNIFIL’s mission must be managed more smoothly and with full coordination to ensure stability in southern Lebanon. He called on Fries to ramp up aid to various sectors in Lebanon, as well as the EU’s engagement in monitoring the parliamentary elections poised to be held in May.