Italy pledges continued support for Lebanon's army

Beirut: In a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Maurice Slim, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto emphasised Italy's ongoing support for the Lebanese army.

"Italy will continue supporting the Lebanese army by organising more conferences to enhance its capabilities, especially at this critical stage," Crosetto said on Friday.

The two officials discussed bilateral relations, developments in Lebanon, military cooperation between the two countries, and the importance of the role played by the Italian unit within the framework of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), reports Xinhua, quoting Lebanon's National News Agency.

For his part, Slim thanked Italy for its support to Lebanon and its assistance to the army, stressing Lebanon's keenness to ensure the safety of UNIFIL and its continued execution of assigned tasks despite the Israeli attacks on its sites.

"The army was and will remain keen to cooperate with UNIFIL, especially at this stage where the army plays a central role in maintaining security and stability in the south in close cooperation with UNIFIL," Slim said.

The Lebanese minister highlighted the continued "hostile actions" carried out by the Israeli enemy, which constitute a flagrant violation of a ceasefire deal between the two sides while stressing Lebanon's commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in all its provisions.

The ceasefire, brokered by the US and France, went into effect in late November, aiming to halt nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

With inputs from IANS