Berri says Israeli claims of arms smuggling from Syria 'mere lies'
Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday said Hezbollah “has fully committed to the ceasefire agreement” with Israel.
Berri added that the Lebanese Army has deployed in the South Litani region with more than 9,000 soldiers and officers, noting that the army can deploy up to the international border but pointing out that “what is obstructing that is the continued Israeli occupation of vast parts of southern Lebanese territory.”
“But the question that should be asked is when, where and how has Israel committed to a single clause of the ceasefire agreement?” the Speaker said.
Berri also revealed that U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus had mentioned two things during her latest visit to Beirut: the Israeli claims about arms smuggling from Syria and the issue of negotiations.
“What Israel is alleging about weapons from Syria is mere lies, and the U.S. -- which controls the skies with its satellites and other means -- knows that,” Berri added.
As for negotiations, Berri said the ceasefire monitoring committee, known as the Mechanism, “should meet in a periodic manner.”
“The help of civilian or military experts can be sought should the need arise, in the vein of what happened in the delineating of the Blue Line or the maritime border,” the Speaker added.
As for the possibility of normalization with Israel, Berri said he is confident that the Lebanese would reject such a move.
Source: Naharnet
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