BEIRUT (AP) \u2014 Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the countries\u2019 tense frontier.<\/p>\n
The strikes came a day before a meeting of the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago. The gathering on Friday will be the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian members to a previously military-only committee. The group also includes the United States, France and the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border.<\/p>\n
In Paris, Lebanon\u2019s army commander, Gen. Rodolph Haikal, held meetings with U.S., French and Saudi officials to discuss ways of assisting the army in its mission to boost its presence in the border area. Haikal started his meetings first by holding talks with French military officials.<\/p>\n
Gen. Fabien Mandon, the French armed forces\u2019 chief of staff, posted on X Thursday that he discussed with Haikal the strategic environment and security challenges in Lebanon and the region.<\/p>\n
Mandon said that France\u2019s help to the Lebanese army is guided by a common objective, which is \u201cto contribute to maintaining stability and lasting peace, in respect with Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The French Foreign Ministry said political parties meeting in Paris on Thursday agreed to hold a conference in February aimed at supporting the Lebanese armed forces.<\/p>\n
The ministry added that the talks focused on how to demonstrate progress toward Hezbollah\u2019s disarmament, as French, Saudi and U.S. officials met with the head of the Lebanese army to work on a road map for a disarmament mechanism.<\/p>\n
A Lebanese army statement quoted Haikal as telling Mandon that Lebanon\u2019s military is committed to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire deal near the border with Israel \u201cwithin the specified time frame.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lebanese government has said that the army should have cleared the whole border area south of the Litani River from Hezbollah\u2019s armed presence by the end of the year.<\/p>\n