Lebanon has given United Nations peacekeepers the green light to deploy along the border with Israel, after being satisfied that all Israeli encroachments into its territory have been cleared up, Prime Minister Salim Hoss said Friday.
"After assuring ourselves that the last Israeli encroachments have been eliminated, we took the decision to authorize UNIFIL (the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon) to deploy all along the frontier, and the timing of this deployment now depends on UNIFIL's logistical capabilities," Hoss told journalists.
The head of the Lebanese team verifying the Israeli withdrawal, General Amin Hoteit, announced Thursday evening that the process had been completed on the ground, although he said a technical question remained outstanding.
A UNIFIL military source told AFP that the body had been informed of the Lebanese go-ahead, but that no steps had yet been taken to follow it up - BEIRUT (AFP)
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