By Nohad Topalian | 2024-10-07

BEIRUT -- Lebanon is ready to implement United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1701 and send the Lebanese army south of the Litani river, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced September 30.

The announcement, which has the support of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, comes as Hizbullah has dragged Lebanon into an all-out war with Israel.

Analysts said the prime minister is serious but that implementation will require a strong government that can enforce the resolution.

The government's position comes in the context of the US-French proposal presented at the UN General Assembly in New York, which calls for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed.

Resolution 1701 calls for an end to all military operations between Hizbullah and Israel, the disarmament of all Lebanese factions, and the creation of a militant- and weapon-free zone between the Blue Line and the Litani river.

It also calls for the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south in cooperation with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Implementing Resolution 1701 requires a "strong government" that can enforce it, which previous governments have failed to do, said military expert Naji Malaeb.

"The government must make up its mind and pledge as a first step that there will be no weapons in the south outside the weapons of the legitimate Lebanese authority, in preparation for disarming the militias," he told Al-Fassel.

Implementing Resolution 1701 "requires a political decision to task the Lebanese army with declaring a state of emergency and put the security services at its disposal to preserve civil peace and national unity," he said.

Commitment to ceasefire

Mikati is "serious" about the move, and "has been talking with Berri about readiness to implement it," political writer Sabine Oueiss told Al-Fassel.

The implementation mechanism emphasizes Israel's commitment and adherence to the ceasefire, followed by the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south alongside UNIFIL, she said.

This converges with Berri's call for a session to elect a consensus president for Lebanon "who does not represent a challenge to any party, and is acceptable to the international community," she said.

"Berri's announcement of his readiness to elect a consensus president after the ceasefire" affirms the government's readiness to implement the resolution, she said.

The parliament speaker also has asked to precede the election session with dialogue, she said.

Army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun's participation in the September 28 cabinet session and his subsequent visit to Berri can be seen as further confirmation that preparations are underway to implement the provisions of Resolution 1701, Oueiss said.