Mikati urges Israel withdrawal in talks with US general

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met Monday at the Grand Serail with the co-chair of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson.

A statement from Mikati’s office said the talks tackled “the mission of the five-part committee tasked with monitoring the ceasefire” between Lebanon and Israel.

During the meeting, the premier stressed the need to “fully abide by the ceasefire, prevent security violations and secure the Israeli enemy’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.”

Jeffers had arrived in Beirut on November 27 and will serve as a co-chair, alongside U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, for the implementation and monitoring mechanism of the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, the U.S. Central Command said.

The cessation of hostilities implementation and monitoring mechanism will be chaired by the United States and consist of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the Israeli army, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and France.

Hochstein will serve as the civilian co-chair until a permanent civilian official is named.

This group will assist in the monitoring and implementation of the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon that went into effect on Nov. 26.

Israel has been accused of carrying out over 52 violations of the ceasefire agreement, some of which have been deadly, including three airstrikes near Sidon.