The southern front: Mikati satisfied but 'apprehensive' amid escalation

It did not take too long to show that the decisions of the exceptional Arab and Islamic summit hosted by Riyadh last Saturday cannot contain the escalation on the southern front.

This article was originally published in and translated from Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.

Despite the 'good intentions' expressed by the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in what he called the 'rationality of Hezbollah' and his behavior with 'high patriotism,' practically, this did not lead to controlling the military calculations of 'the party.'

The past 24 hours have proven that 'the resistance' has proceeded to carry out operations that succeeded in causing direct casualties on the other side of the border.

In contrast, Israel stated that the injuries inflicted by 'the party' targeted ten civilians. The spokesperson for the Israeli army described what happened as a "terrorist" act that puts Lebanon at risk.

Amid this escalation, there were fears of the conflict widening to resemble a war.

These concerns were sometimes accompanied by reports of a "broad" Israeli reaction and other times, with Israel dropping "leaflets" urging Southerners to leave their homes. But these reports turned out to be baseless.

However, the dissipation of these atmospheres did not lead to the end of the prevailing tension.

Furthermore, the recent developments indicated the continued exchange of rocket fire and artillery shelling. In the final tally, Hezbollah announced new casualties among its ranks, in addition to fires and losses in properties on the border.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that one of its members was injured by a bullet near Al-Qouzah in the district of Bint Jbeil.

From the field developments to politics, during Mikati's consultations with his visitors on Sunday, he expressed "satisfaction" with the decisions issued by the Riyadh summit, especially regarding Lebanon.

However, he also expressed "great concern" about the continued war in Gaza and its repercussions on South Lebanon.

He stated that the return of calm to the southern border is conditional upon a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

He then pointed out that there are international contacts to restore calm to the south, explaining that "there is no interest for any internal party in expanding the scope of the clashes."

When the discussion turned to Resolution 1701, which he committed to in his speech at the Riyadh summit, it became clear that Mikati was counting on international pressure exerted on Israel in exchange for preparing the army to be ready to take control of matters in the south.

Moreover, Mikati heard remarks from his visitors about the chaos the south is experiencing, where any group can carry out a military operation in the "open southern front." He promised to consider these remarks.

Regarding the situation of the military institution, Mikati received a delegation from opposition MPs.

Following their meeting, Gemayel announced that the delegation visited Mikati to propose to him to "make a quick decision in the government to postpone the retirement of the army commander for one year."

In the same context, MP Ghassan Hasbani told Nidaa Al-Watan on behalf of the Strong Republic bloc that the opposition is heading to the government seeking to "provide any way to extend the retirement of the army commander for one year."

"If this requires legislation in the Parliament, the opposition will not prevent that," he said.

He also noted that the bloc had previously submitted a legislative proposal, saying, "We accepted legislation for this purpose due to the exceptional situation that Lebanon is experiencing, which threatens national security."