Lebanese Parliament Members Call for Army Deployment Nationwide

BEIRUT — A group of Lebanese parliament members on Wednesday urged the government to deploy the Lebanese Armed Forces across the entirety of national territory, citing mounting security challenges and the need to reassert state sovereignty amid persistent instability along the country's southern and eastern borders. The appeal, reported by Al Jazeera Mubasher, reflects growing frustration within Lebanon's political establishment over the patchwork nature of state authority in areas where non-state actors and foreign incursions have eroded central control.

The lawmakers argued that a nationwide army deployment is essential to restoring public confidence, protecting civilians from recurrent Israeli strikes in the south, and preventing the kind of security vacuums that have repeatedly drawn Lebanon into regional conflicts. They framed the call as a constitutional duty, insisting that the monopoly on legitimate force must rest exclusively with the Lebanese state and its official military institutions.

Lebanon has endured more than a year of cross-border hostilities with Israel, which intensified following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 and culminated in a devastating Israeli ground and air campaign in the south during late 2024. A ceasefire brokered in November 2024 nominally halted major hostilities, but Israeli forces have continued to carry out strikes inside Lebanese territory, including in the Bekaa Valley and southern villages, citing alleged Hezbollah activity. The Lebanese army has been tasked under the truce with deploying south of the Litani River, a process that has advanced unevenly due to logistical constraints and damaged infrastructure.

The MPs' statement comes as Lebanon's new government, formed earlier this year under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun — himself a former army commander — seeks to rebuild state institutions battered by years of economic collapse and political paralysis. International donors, including Qatar, France, and the United States, have pledged support for strengthening the Lebanese military, viewing it as the cornerstone of any durable security arrangement.

Qatar has been among the most consistent Gulf backers of the Lebanese army, having previously provided salary support for soldiers and humanitarian assistance to communities displaced by the southern war. Doha has repeatedly emphasized that Lebanon's stability is inseparable from broader regional security, and Qatari diplomacy has played a central role in mediating between Lebanese factions during past crises. Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have signaled renewed willingness to engage with Beirut following the election of Aoun in January, conditioning financial support on meaningful reforms and the consolidation of state authority.

The parliamentary call is expected to feed into ongoing cabinet deliberations over the army's expanded role, though any decision will require navigating the delicate political balance that has long defined Lebanese governance.