Mawlawi visits south in show of support amid daily clashes

Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi visited Thursday Sidon, Nabatieh and Tyre, in a show of solidarity with the south as Hezbollah and Israel traded cross-border fire on the border.

"Activating the emergency plan in all governorates is necessary and the goal is not to scare people but to reassure them,” Mawlawi said from Sidon.

He later visited Nabatieh Governorate and the city of Tyre to inspect the centers sheltering the displaced southerners, and the readiness to the government's emergency plan.

Since Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israel has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions in Lebanon's south, stoking fears of a regional spillover.

Nearly 29,000 people have been displaced from the border villages in Lebanon due to the clashes, and more than 64 people have been killed, including six civilians.

Authorities have scrambled to develop an emergency plan, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday he was doing his best to ensure the state, with its "humble means", would be able to respond in case of war.