Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has said that the goal of the country’s armed forces is to “gradually extend their authority over all Lebanese territory, including the south”, according to the National News Agency (NNA),

Speaking at a conference held by the French Senate in Paris, he said achieving this objective remains contingent upon a complete Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.

“No state can complete the building of its institutions and sovereignty while part of its territory remains under occupation. Occupation undermines state institutions, fuels tensions, delays the return to political and security stability, and prevents the state from exercising its full authority over its territory,” Raggi said.