Lebanon PM Says One Army and One State Must Control the South

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said during a visit to the Benoa Barakat army barracks in Tyre that the south, like all of Lebanon, must be under the authority of one state. He said constitutional institutions must control decisions of war and peace, with no weapon above the Lebanese army's. Salam described army deployments as restoring state sovereignty and said the government would seek Arab and international backing to strengthen the force. He also called for a complete Israeli withdrawal, the release of Lebanese prisoners, residents' return and reconstruction.