06-05-2025
Lazaro urges Israel to 'withdraw completely from Lebanese territory'
BEIRUT — UNIFIL Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lazaro urged on Tuesday the Israeli army to "withdraw completely from Lebanese territory, and not to target prefabricated rooms in border villages."
Local media outlets reported Lazaro's comments, which were delivered during a meeting held at the Jdeidet Marjeyoun municipality building on Tuesday as his tenure as UNIFIL commander nears its end.
"Any situation that may lead to an escalation of confrontation must be avoided, ... and we will do our best in this regard in line with Resolution 1701, in order to contribute to this stability, and we urge the Israeli army to withdraw completely from Lebanese territory, and not to target prefabricated rooms in border villages", Lazaro said.
Despite the ceasefire agreement reached in late Nov. 2024, two months after the escalation of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the Israeli army continues to carry out airstrikes on a nearly daily basis in Lebanon and is still present in five strategic points in the southern part of the country.
The UNIFIL commander added that although the situation in Southern Lebanon is "now more stable than it was a few months ago", it is still fragile.
"I emphasize that the solution in this region can only be achieved through political decisions, not through us or through military actions", Lazaro added.
The UNIFIL Commander praised the efforts of the Lebanese government, political parties and local officials for their determination to create the necessary conditions to hold the municipal elections, despite the many challenges currently facing the country, calling this achievement a "courageous and necessary challenge for Lebanon's democratic future."
The municipal and mukhtar elections will be held in Southern Lebanon on Saturday, May 24. This will be the fourth round of a municipal election spread over three Sundays and one Saturday in May 2025. These elections have been postponed three times, in 2022, 2023, and 2024. On Sunday, May 4, the election took place in the governorates of Mount Lebanon, on the 11th, they will occur in North Lebanon and Akkar, and on May 18, in the Bekaa, the Baalbeck-Hermel region and Beirut.
'We recognize that the needs are great and UNIFIL will always stand by the Lebanese people to the best of our ability and within the framework of our mandate and U.N. Resolution 1701", Lazaro finally said.
