Lebanon needs help to expand army and rebuild, caretaker PM tells Paris summit

France’s President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati prior to their meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

PARIS: International support will be needed to shore up and expand Lebanon’s army and rebuild the country’s destroyed infrastructure, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told a Paris conference convened amid Israel’s assault on Hezbollah.
Mikati said the Lebanese government had decided to recruit more troops and could deploy 8,000 soldiers as part of a plan to implement a ceasefire and UN Security Council resolution, which calls for the army to be deployed in southern Lebanon.