US Embassy in Lebanon: Mechanism observes LAF 5th Brigade operations in Naqoura

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon released a statement Tuesday following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the southern town of Naqoura and the deployment of the Lebanese Army.

The statement said, "U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, the Chairman of the Cessation of Hostilities Implementation Mechanism, was joined by French Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin on a visit to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) 5th Brigade headquarters in southwest Lebanon this morning." 

"The headquarters is five kilometers northeast of Naqoura, a town under the control of the Lebanese Armed Forces after the first phase of withdrawal by Israeli forces on January 6. As part of the Mechanism-enabled transition, the LAF immediately deployed forces to the area to clear roads, remove unauthorized munitions, and provide security for the people of Lebanon," it added. 

Moreover, the statement noted that "Generals Jeffers and Ponchin viewed stockpiles of weapons to be destroyed in the coming days, which the LAF seized from unauthorized armed groups. Commending the LAF's work, MG Jeffers said, "The LAF is the legitimate security provider for Lebanon and continues to demonstrate to me and the rest of the Mechanism it has the capability, intent, and leadership to secure and defend Lebanon. They have acted decisively, rapidly, and with clear expertise." 

"Today, we saw an example of this with the soldiers of the 5th Brigade. The engineer corps, in particular, is full of true professionals, removing and rendering safe hundreds of pieces of unexploded ordnance every week," it concluded.

 

Read the full statement here.