Arab League chief opposes ending UNIFIL and heads to the south

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy used his Beirut visit to call for concrete political and financial support for Lebanon's state institutions and people, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. "Lebanon is among the Arab League's priorities, and among my own priorities," he said.

Fahmy said the League opposes ending the mission of the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, describing its presence as the strongest framework for international oversight in the south. Any alternative, he said, would need Lebanon's consent and a clear international mandate.

Meeting Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, he voiced concern that any regional settlement could come at Lebanon's expense, LBCI reported. Raggi thanked the League for its recent Cairo resolution backing Lebanon's sovereignty. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged Arab help to secure Israel's full withdrawal and to invest in reconstruction.

Late on Monday Fahmy arrived at the army's Intervention Regiment base in Zahrani before heading to Zawtar al-Gharbiya to see conditions in the south, according to LBCI. He plans to follow up in Cairo on support, including for the Lebanese Army.