US Maj. Gen. Jeffers, French Brig. Gen. Ponchin visit Lebanese army's 5th brigade headquarters in southern Lebanon
US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, head of the five-nation oversight committee monitoring the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, visited the Lebanese army headquarters in southern Lebanon to follow up on the army deployment in the area and check the stockpiles of weapons to be destroyed in the coming days by the Lebanese army.
According to a statement by the US Embassy in Beirut on Tuesday, Jeffers, accompanied by French Brig. Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, visited the Lebanese army's 5th Brigade headquarters following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the area and the deployment of the Lebanese army "to clear roads, remove unauthorized munitions, and provide security for the people of Lebanon."
"Generals Jeffers and Ponchin viewed stockpiles of weapons to be destroyed in the coming days, which the LAF (Lebanese army) seized from unauthorized armed groups," the statement said.
"Today, we saw an example of this with the soldiers of the 5th Brigade. The engineer corps in particular is full of true professionals, removing and rendering safe hundreds of pieces of unexploded ordnance every week," the statement cited Jeffers as saying.
The five-nation oversight committee comprises the US, France, Lebanon, Israel, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
A fragile cease-fire has been in place since Nov. 27, 2024, ending a series of mutual attacks between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah that began on Oct. 8, 2023, and escalated into a full-scale war on Sept. 23, 2024.
The agreement's key provisions include Israel's gradual withdrawal to the south of the Blue Line, a de facto border, within 60 days, and the deployment of the Lebanese army and security forces along the border, crossings, and southern regions.
Data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel's onslaught against Lebanon began on October 2023, at least 4,063 people have been killed, including women, children, and health workers, while 16,664 have been injured.
