President Aoun to French Senate delegation: Israeli withdrawal from border essential for full army deployment

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun told a visiting delegation from the French Senate that Israel's withdrawal from the five strategic points along the southern border is essential for accelerating the full deployment of the Lebanese Army, allowing the state alone to assume responsibility for border security.

During the meeting, Aoun affirmed that the Lebanese Army is fully deployed along the northeastern border, carrying out its duties, including combating terrorism, preventing smuggling operations, and maintaining internal security.

He emphasized that the decision to ensure that all weapons remain exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese state has been taken and that returning to the "language of war" is unacceptable.

Addressing internal reforms, Aoun said Lebanon has already begun implementing necessary reforms and will continue to do so, noting that these reforms are a national need rather than merely an international demand. 

He added that a key focus of the reform efforts is fighting corruption to serve citizens better and strengthen public institutions.

On Lebanese-Syrian relations, Aoun announced that joint Lebanese-Syrian committees would be formed to address outstanding issues, including the demarcation of land and maritime borders and the situation of Syrian nationals residing in Lebanon for economic reasons.