Aoun: Time has come for state to return to south

President Joseph Aoun stated Thursday that the Lebanese state has "received the appeals of our people in Nabatieh, Tyre and Arab Salim.”

“I wish to tell them: We have heeded your calls and stand by your side; we certainly cannot remain distant from you. We must exert every effort to support and assist you, and to secure the essentials for your resilience to the greatest extent possible,” Aoun said during a cabinet session.

“The time has come for the state to return to the south. This is a shared responsibility and a duty toward our people, because the south is the fundamental part of Lebanon, and every ministry must contribute its utmost to demonstrate our unwavering support for our people, without any shortcoming," the president added.

His remarks comes after the Lebanese Army and security forces reinforced their presence in the southern city of Nabatieh, following Israeli strikes on the Nabatieh region that left 27 dead and 69 wounded in three days.