NNA - In a fresh statement this morning on recent developments in the south, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned of the dire consequences of renewed military activity on Lebanon's southern border, saying it "could drag the country into a new, devastating war."

Salam contacted Defense Minister Michel Mansi, stressing the need to take all necessary security and military measures to reaffirm that only the state holds the authority over war and peace. 

He also urged the United Nations to intensify international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory, calling its presence a violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements approved by the previous government last October, to which Lebanon is committed.

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