NNA - Prime Minister Najib Mikati ended his inspection tour in the South this morning, saying, "My visit to the city of Tyre today came with multifaceted messages...The first stop-over was my visit to the army command of the South Litani Sector, which we confirm is the support and safeguarding fence of the homeland....For half an hour, the officers briefed me about the army’s equipment, readiness, and status...and there is a definite need to increase equipment and soldiers to fully implement Resolution 1701, which we adhere to and are committed to implementing because it is a prelude to establishing a kind of permanent stability in southern Lebanon.”
"My second stop-over was for an educational reason. Today, the high school official exams have begun. We visited several centers, feeling content at the positively beaming faces of students...with the percentage of recorded absences being less than half a percent...Students are coming from Tyre's schools and others are attending from outside, amidst a very comfortable atmosphere,” Mikati added.
He commended the huge efforts exerted in this regard, which can be considered an achievement for the government in light of the difficult times and challenges witnessed in the country, hailing herein the Caretaker Minister of Education, Abbas al-Halabi's determination to conduct these exams to the fullest to preserve the Lebanese educational certificate's importance.
Mikati continued to outline the parts of his inspection tour by referring to his important health-sector meeting held at the Union of Municipalities in Tyre, whereby he praised the efforts carried out by the Caretaker Health Minister, Firas al-Abiad, in catering to the health needs of southerners amidst the challenging circumstances.
He said: "We hope in this difficult situation that things will go well for this country and that the South and all of Lebanon will smile, and God willingly it will...They speak war to us...We can see...We have destruction and martyrs, and we hope that the war will not expand...and we look to long-term stability in our beloved South region.”
"We are always advocates of peace, and our choice is peace and the implementation of Resolution 1701. Israel must stop its repeated attacks on Lebanon, and stop the war in Gaza, and everyone must implement International Resolution No. 2735," Mikati underlined in response to a question.
He expressed full solidarity with all Southerners, saying "We are with our people. The resistance is doing its duty, the Lebanese government is doing its duty, and our goal is to protect the country in every sense of the word.”
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